JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida volleyball looks to start off strong in league play this weekend as the Ospreys go to Stetson Friday and FGCU Saturday. The Ospreys are long-time rivals of both squads, having taken on each team 40 times apiece.

MATCH DETAILS
Who | Stetson, FGCU
What | First Two ASUN Road Matches
When | Friday, Sept. 22 and Saturday, Sept. 23
Where | DeLand, Fla. (Edmunds Center) | Fort Myers, Fla. (Alico Arena)

Live Coverage
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ESPN+ for Stetson and FGCU

Series History

• Stetson: UNF and Stetson have played 40 matches against each other … all but two of those matches have been played prior to UNF's affiliation with the ASUN … North Florida paces the all-time series, 28-12 … UNF holds a 20-12 lead in ASUN regular season matches … North Florida split its two matches against Stetson last year, both of which were played in Jacksonville … Stetson's win came Sept. 24 at JU … North Florida took a 3-1 decision against Stetson at the UNF Arena … the Ospreys are 12-5 against Stetson in DeLand.
• FGCU: North Florida has played 40 matches against the Eagles … the Ospreys went 1-2 against FGCU in 2022 … North Florida won 3-2 in a neutral site match against the Eagles at JU, although the Eagles won the next two, one of which came Nov. 17 in the ASUN Quarterfinals.

SCOUTING REPORT

• Stetson: The Hatters are 5-7 and on a five-match losing streak … Stetson lost to Miami, FIU, Indiana, Georgia Tech and South Alabama, taking just one set during that stretch … the Hatters were tabbed to finish eighth in the ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll … the Hatters were selected to finish behind Austin Peay and EKU … Annabelle Standish is the go-top offensive option for Stetson, pacing the team with 3.50 kills/set … Haruka Sugimoto enters having had some huge matches at libero this year, posting matches of 28 digs and 29 digs … Nyah Molina is one of the most notable returners on the Stetson roster, bringing in a diverse skillset … the Lake Nona, Fla., native averages 2.78 per set and 7.05 assists/set … Molina was the 2021 ASUN Freshman of the Year and ASUN All-Freshman Team.
• FGCU: The Eagles are 7-5 and coming off a five-set battle against Maryland in which the Eagles lost to Maryland … FGCU swept FAU and Le Moyne last weekend … the Eagles are the reigning ASUN Champs and tabbed to finish first in the league with seven first place votes … Juliana Lentz and Lily Tessier were picked to the Preseason All-ASUN Team … UNF faced off against Tessier when she was a member of the Iowa Hawkeyes … FGCU defeated USF, 3-1, earlier this year, the lone like-opponent between the two teams … the Eagles claimed a Power Five win this year, taking care of Ole Miss in five frames … Shelby Kent paces the team with 2.42 kills/set … FGCU is playing in its first season in the past five years without Dana Axner, one of the greatest liberos in ASUN history.

MATCH NOTES
Milestone Watch

• Rocio Moro continues her ascent up the ASUN record book, needing just over 100 digs to set the league record for career digs
• Kailey McKnight and Maddie Boyd were the most recent additions to the 500-career kills club, having reached that milestone earlier this year
• Boyd also became just the fourth Osprey in program history to surpass 300-career blocks
• Annie Antar is nearing the 1,000-career assists milestone, sitting at 960 after already posting 398 this season

Battles in DeLand

• UNF and Stetson are known to go for some marathon matches
• Since 2017, UNF and Stetson have played in five five-set matches
• The last five-setter came Oct. 30, 2021 at Stetson as Gabby O'Connell set the sets played record at UNF

Sunshine Summary

• UNF is coming off a six-match home stand, capped with last weekend's Sunshine Invite that saw UNF host Alabama A&M, USF and USC Upstate
• The Ospreys were paced by one of the best stretches in Kierstyn McFall's young career. The middle blocker posted a career-best 18 kills against USF, while hitting .476 with 3.00 kills/set
• Another middle blocker, Maddie Boyd, surpassed 300-career blocks last weekend, becoming just the fourth Osprey in program history to reach that milestone
• North Florida swept Alabama A&M, while coming up just short against USF and USC Upstate

Preseason Picks

• UNF made some noise in the preseason conference rankings and all-league team
• Mahalia White and Rocio Moro were both league superlative award honorees, with Moro being named ASUN Preseason Defensive Player of the Year for the third-straight time, while Mahalia White was named ASUN Preseason Player of the Year.
• Moro is the three-time reigning ASUN Defensive Player of the Year, the only student-athlete to have earned that honor three times in the history of the league
• White was named to the ASUN Second Team a year ago after pacing the league in points/set and kills/set

Hungry and Experienced

• North Florida brings back significant numbers from last year's team that finished 9-7 in league play
• Headlining that group is Moro and White, along with starters in 2022 ASUN All-Freshman pick Kierstyn McFall, Maddie Boyd, Kailey McKnight
• North Florida returns 85.5 percent of its sets played for 2022

Highest of Honors

• Graduate student Mahalia White received one of the highest honors in all of collegiate sports this past summer
• White joined the nation's best female student-athletes in Los Angeles for the Collegiate Women's Sports Award (CWSA) Honda Cup ceremonies
• She was selected by the CWSA as the Honda Inspiration Cup award winner, an honor given to a female student-athlete in any of the NCAA Divisions that has overcome an extraordinary trial during their respective careers before overcoming and returning to success
• White defeated Hodgkin's Lymphoma and a torn ACL during her collegiate playing career before returning to the court and putting up all-league honors last year

Noting the Newcomers

• UNF's roster features 19 total and six newcomers
• Just two of UNF's newcomers are true freshmen, as Emma Pohlmann suits up in the Navy and Gray after arriving by way of Birmingham, Ala. Francis-Garay competed for her native country of Puerto Rico this summer before joining the Ospreys in mid-August
• Morgan Wilson (Towson), Rylee Moorhead (Presbyterian), Negron (UC Irvine) and Kyla Solis (Clemson), all bring extensive experience in the DI ranks.