2023 Volleyball Season in Review
1/3/2024 5:00:00 PM | Volleyball
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida volleyball established another successful season under the helm of head coach Kristen Wright with a 17-15 overall record, including a 10-4 record in home games, as well as an appearance in the ASUN Tournament semifinals.
The Ospreys hit monumental team and individual landmarks and milestones during its 2023 season to send the seniors out on a high note. They complete its fourth consecutive winning season in league play, which extends a current program record to be one of the most successful senior classes in recent program history.
UNF began its 2023 season with back-to-back out-of-state tournament weekends, including a trip out west at the Thunderdome Classic Volleyball Tournament hosted by UC Santa Barbara. The highlight of the weekend came in its first match against Denver, where they earned the first win of the season in a 3-1 battle.
Just a few days later, the Ospreys traveled once again to Conway, S.C., to compete in the Coastal Carolina Tournament hosted by the Chanticleers. They had the opportunity to face off against another trio of teams, including matchups against Georgia and TCU, while also bringing home a 3-0 sweep against Coastal Carolina on the backside of a doubleheader.
In its first full season in the newly-renovated CSI Companies Court at UNF Arena, North Florida had an outstanding home opener against Texas Southern in another 3-0 sweep to start off the UNF Invitational. Two more wins coming in five-set fashion against UL-Lafayette and Charlotte gave them a 3-0 sweep of teams as tournament champions.
The following weekend, they hosted once again in the UNF Sunshine Tournament facing teams such as Alabama A&M, USF and USC Upstate. They recorded its third sweep of the season with a dominant win over the Bulldogs, but fell in close losses in the final two matches.
The Ospreys repeated with a 9-7 record in conference competition once again, which included a sweep against Jacksonville in the River City Rumble and sweeps against Kennesaw State, Queens (N.C.), JU, Austin Peay and Stetson. They were also able to pull out close wins as the season went on as well with a 3-2 win in the fifth set on the road against Queens.
UNF went into the ASUN Championship tournament as hot as they could be after winning five of its last seven matches to finish the season. That winning stretch also included a 3-0 sweep against the Hatters on senior night, where the Ospreys honored seven senior players for their contributions to the program.
After clinching its 10th-straight conference tournament appearance, UNF was tabbed as the sixth seed. In its first match of the postseason, the Ospreys pulled off the upset in a 3-1 victory against Eastern Kentucky in Fort Myers, Fla. The underdog run came to an end in the semifinals, as they left it all out on the court in a five-set defeat against Lipscomb.
Rocio Moro earned her fourth-career ASUN Defensive Player of the Year honor to add on to her record total in the ASUN Conference. She also set many records this season, including sets play, matches played and career digs for the program, as well as the ASUN career digs record.
The senior racked her ASUN Defensive Player of the Week career total up to become a 12-time honoree, which is the most awards of that kind in conference history. She will go down as one of the most successful and decorated liberos in UNF program and Atlantic Sun Conference history.
Kailey McKnight also joined Moro on the ASUN All-Conference team, as she earned her first-career postseason honor after being named to the third team. Moro also headlined the ASUN All-Academic Team for the Ospreys, while McKnight, Maddie Boyd and Kierstyn McFall joined her on the CSC Academic All-District Team.
The Ospreys hit monumental team and individual landmarks and milestones during its 2023 season to send the seniors out on a high note. They complete its fourth consecutive winning season in league play, which extends a current program record to be one of the most successful senior classes in recent program history.
Tournament Time
UNF began its 2023 season with back-to-back out-of-state tournament weekends, including a trip out west at the Thunderdome Classic Volleyball Tournament hosted by UC Santa Barbara. The highlight of the weekend came in its first match against Denver, where they earned the first win of the season in a 3-1 battle.Just a few days later, the Ospreys traveled once again to Conway, S.C., to compete in the Coastal Carolina Tournament hosted by the Chanticleers. They had the opportunity to face off against another trio of teams, including matchups against Georgia and TCU, while also bringing home a 3-0 sweep against Coastal Carolina on the backside of a doubleheader.
Hosting Home Weekends
In its first full season in the newly-renovated CSI Companies Court at UNF Arena, North Florida had an outstanding home opener against Texas Southern in another 3-0 sweep to start off the UNF Invitational. Two more wins coming in five-set fashion against UL-Lafayette and Charlotte gave them a 3-0 sweep of teams as tournament champions.The following weekend, they hosted once again in the UNF Sunshine Tournament facing teams such as Alabama A&M, USF and USC Upstate. They recorded its third sweep of the season with a dominant win over the Bulldogs, but fell in close losses in the final two matches.
ASUN Play & Championship Tournament
The Ospreys repeated with a 9-7 record in conference competition once again, which included a sweep against Jacksonville in the River City Rumble and sweeps against Kennesaw State, Queens (N.C.), JU, Austin Peay and Stetson. They were also able to pull out close wins as the season went on as well with a 3-2 win in the fifth set on the road against Queens.UNF went into the ASUN Championship tournament as hot as they could be after winning five of its last seven matches to finish the season. That winning stretch also included a 3-0 sweep against the Hatters on senior night, where the Ospreys honored seven senior players for their contributions to the program.
After clinching its 10th-straight conference tournament appearance, UNF was tabbed as the sixth seed. In its first match of the postseason, the Ospreys pulled off the upset in a 3-1 victory against Eastern Kentucky in Fort Myers, Fla. The underdog run came to an end in the semifinals, as they left it all out on the court in a five-set defeat against Lipscomb.
Conference & National Accolades
Rocio Moro earned her fourth-career ASUN Defensive Player of the Year honor to add on to her record total in the ASUN Conference. She also set many records this season, including sets play, matches played and career digs for the program, as well as the ASUN career digs record.The senior racked her ASUN Defensive Player of the Week career total up to become a 12-time honoree, which is the most awards of that kind in conference history. She will go down as one of the most successful and decorated liberos in UNF program and Atlantic Sun Conference history.
Kailey McKnight also joined Moro on the ASUN All-Conference team, as she earned her first-career postseason honor after being named to the third team. Moro also headlined the ASUN All-Academic Team for the Ospreys, while McKnight, Maddie Boyd and Kierstyn McFall joined her on the CSC Academic All-District Team.
Players Mentioned
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