JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida volleyball (6-5) started the weekend off by holding Alabama A&M to .011 hitting percentage in a 3-0 sweep of the Bulldogs (1-10), although the Ospreys dropped the nightcap to USF (5-5) after a two-hour plus four-set battle Friday, Sept. 15.
UNF earned its fourth-straight victory in the win against Alabama A&M, while
Kierstyn McFall set a career high with 18 kills on an astounding .516 hitting percentage in the evening loss to the Bulls.
North Florida is now 6-1 all-time on the CSI Companies Court as UNF took its first loss in a home non-conference tournament since the fall of 2019.
UNF 3, Alabama A&M 0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-12)
Inside the Sets
- Set 1: The block was big in the first set, with North Florida tallying four in the first set … Alabama A&M hit -.032 over the first set … Amy Burkhardt posted three kills in the first frame as North Florida never gave up the lead in the opening session.
- Set 2: Alabama A&M stayed closer than what was seen in the first frame, tied 15-15 at the media timeout … North Florida went on a 10-3 run to close out the frame, a run that included Yarimar Francis-Garay's first kill at home.
- Set 3: North Florida held the lead the entire frame, hitting .481 while keeping Alabama A&M at .000 … Rylee Moorhead came in and posted four kills in the third frame alone, with Kierstyn McFall adding three.
Leaders By the Numbers
UNF
ALABAMA A&M
- Bailey Duckett | 5 kills, 2 aces, 5 digs
- Mackenzie Jefferson | 9 assists, 6 digs
UNF 1, USF 3 (23-25, 25-19, 19-25, 19-25)
Inside the Sets
- Set 1: The first set certainly established the tone for the rest of the match as UNF and USF traded blows … the frame saw seven tie scores and three lead changes, both match highs for the evening … UNF was in command at the midway point, lead 15-12 at the media timeout … Morgan Wilson dropped in an ace, leading to a 17-13 advantage and USF timeout … the defense shown through, helping UNF to a 22-18 lead, but USF closed the session on a 7-0 run.
- Set 2: North Florida turned the tables on USF's momentum in the next frame, going on its own 9-0 run to run away with the second set and even things up … McFall had a monstrous six-kill frame, hitting .750 as North Florida overwhelmed the Bulls.
- Set 3: USF a 5-1 run to get some separation up 11-7 … USf maintained that lead, using play at the service line to take a 2-1 advantage …
- Set 4: After getting point number one, USF used a 4-0 run to take an early lead … Kailey McKnight put up an ace to tie it up at 4-4, but USF used another 4-0 run to take an 11-6 lead … North Florida cut the deficit down to 11-10 with a Maddie Boyd kill … unfortunately for the Ospreys, down one was the closest they would get, seeing a 19-18 disadvantage get away late.
Leaders By the Numbers
UNF
USF
- Amanda DeWitt | 15 kills, 3 digs
- Buse Hazan | 17 kills, 15 digs
- Caroline Dykes | 40 assists, 10 digs
Notes
- North Florida is 4-1 at home this year and 6-1 all-time on the CSI Companies Court
- The Ospreys and Bulls played for the ninth time
- UNF is 2-0 all-time vs. Alabama A&M
- Francis-Garay earned her first kill at home
- McFall posted a career high in kills against USF, tallying 25 over seven sets played
- The match vs. USF saw 17 tie scores and eight lead changes
Up Next
UNF plays its final non-conference home match of the regular season tomorrow at 2 p.m. vs. USC Upstate.
