JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Gritty play down the stretch of all four sets separated North Florida from JU in the first edition of the River City Rumble as the Ospreys (7-9, 1-2 ASUN) knocked off the Dolphins (3-12, 0-3 ASUN), 3-1, in a two-hour and 28-minute ASUN home opener Tuesday, Sept. 26.
No team held greater than a five-point margin at any point in any set, with all four frames being decided by no more than four tallies.
Kailey McKnight put up her third-straight double-double and
Annie Antar notched her fifth double-double of the year as she eyed triple-double territory.
UNF is now 7-0 at home against JU under head coach
Kristen Wright.
UNF 3, JU 1 (27-25, 25-21, 23-25, 25-22)
Inside the Sets
- Set 1: North Florida never gave up the lead although JU never acquiesced, tying the match five times … the first of the final three deadlocks came at 20-20 after JU went on a 3-0 run … UNF took a timeout and quickly went on its own 3-0 run capped by a dramatic block by Kailey McKnight and Maddie Boyd … JU evaded two set points until an attack error and set-clinching block from Annie Antar and Kierstyn McFall.
- Set 2: The second set was just as tight outside of UNF's late push that created a four-point final margin, the largest of the evening for any final set score … North Florida had seven more kills than the visitors, but JU's slight advantage on the block and service line kept them in it … the UNF middles caused problems, adding up for seven kills while McKnight, Anna Butler and Antar added three apiece … UNF used a 4-0 run to close the session, with two of those kills coming from overpass attacks off Maddie Boyd's hand … an Antar kill and Jessica Buis ace sealed it as she carried UNF to a 2-0 lead at the line.
- Set 3: The third session was laborious, featuring 15 tie scores and six lead changes … JU's slight edge in offensive efficiency helped the Dolphins in extending the match to four frames … McKnight did her best to get in the way of that, hitting .364 with six kills … tied 23-23, JU got the edge with a UNF service error and an Anna Erickson kill.
- Set 4: JU and UNF traded multi-point leads at different points in the match … one of the biggest pendulum shifts came after the media timeout as the natural intermission slowed down a 3-0 JU run as it had a 15-12 lead at the break … UNF then went on a 3-0 lead before taking the lead for good at 18-17 … Amy Burkhardt closed the night out on her birthday with a kill, giving UNF a 25-22 fourth-set victory.
Leaders By the Numbers
JU
- Alija Heins | 11 kills, .350 hitting percentage, 5 blocks
- Kariana Ayala-Drew | 14 digs, 2 aces
- Kristina Nika | 3 aces, 13 digs
UNF
Postmatch Comments
Notes
- UNF is 7-0 at home against JU under head coach Kristen Wright
- North Florida improved to 30-18 against JU all-time
- McKnight has notched a double-double in all three ASUN matches and six times this season. She has posted at least 15 kills six times this season
- The match saw 27 tie scores and nine lead changes
- All three ASUN matches have been over two hours
- There was never a margin greater than five points at any point in a set
- Moro is on a stretch of three-straight matches of at least 20 digs
- Antar has hit at least .300 in eight matches
- Two of Anna Butler's three double-digit kill matches have come in the last two matches
Up Next
North Florida gears up for a lone ASUN road match at Lipscomb Saturday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. EST.
