GREENVILLE, S.C. - North Florida volleyball showed incredible effort in its five-set match, falling to Furman, 3-2, in its second match of the Furman Invite on Friday evening at Alley Gymnasium.

Junior middle blocker Yarimar Francis Garay led the way offensively for the Ospreys with a team-high 11 kills and .529 hitting. Freshman middle blocker Haleina Bowers registered her first career-kill and finished with nine kills total to go with a match-high .727 hitting. 

Junior outside hitter Kaili Doctor and freshman opposite Kendall Newbold rounded out North Florida's offense with eight kills and seven kills, respectively.

Sophomore setter Kacey Kazmierski and freshman setter Sofia Dawson facilitated North Florida's offense, each turning in team-highs with 22 assists. Defensively, Francis Garay, Doctor, Newbold and senior middle blocker Kierstyn McFall were active at the net with four blocks each.

UNF 2, FUR 3 (20-25, 25-12, 25-17, 10-25, 10-15)

Set 1: Two kills in the early going from Piester helped North Florida command a 5-3 lead. Francis Garay posted back-to-back kills midway through the set that kept the Ospreys afloat, despite narrowly trailing 12-11. Kills by Doctor and Newbold plus a block assist from Newbold and McFall built momentum for North Florida down the stretch, though it dropped set one.
Set 2: North Florida came out firing to a 7-3 lead fueled by two kills apiece from Francis Garay and Newbold. North Florida kept its foot on the gas and saw its lead grow to 12-5 behind a block assist from Francis Garay and Doctor. An 8-0 surge from the Ospreys in the latter stages was vital to its victory in set two. McFall and Piester each tallied two kills amid the run.
Set 3: Facing a 2-0 deficit, North Florida stormed back with six-straight points to take an early four-point advantage. The Ospreys caught fire with a 10-1 run midway through the set that featured two kills from Francis Garay, and one kill each from Bowers and Doctor to give North Florida a 19-9 edge. A block assist from Piester and McFall and a pair of kills from Bowers helped seal the victory for the Ospreys.
Set 4: Newbold was sensational for North Florida, posting three kills in the fourth set alone. Kills from McFall, Doctor and Francis Garay helped the Ospreys go on a 4-1 run amid the set, though it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit.
Set 5: North Florida was competitive in the deciding fifth set, earning an early 5-3 lead following back-to-back kills from McFall. Bowers' final kill of the match gave the Ospreys a 10-9 advantage before the match came to its final margin.

LEADERS BY THE NUMBERS
UNF
Yarimar Francis Garay | 11 kills
Sofia Dawson | 22 assists 
Kacey Kazmierski | 22 assists
Julianna Santiago | 10 digs

FUR
Ashley Stein | 12 kills
Emily Navarro | 27 assists
Kennedy Seekford | 13 digs

NOTES

• Bowers tallied her first career-kill and finished with the second-most kills for North Florida with nine total.
• Bowers posted a match-high .727 hitting.
• Francis Garay added .529 hitting.
• Four Ospreys (Francis Garay, Doctor, Newbold, McFall) notched four blocks.
• Four Ospreys (Guthrie, Kazmierski, Santiago, Pohlmann) registered eight digs or more.
• North Florida matched Furman's total number of aces with seven.
• The Ospreys tallied 54 digs to Furman's 52.

 
UP NEXT
North Florida will battle Alabama State in its final match at the Furman Invite on Saturday, Sept. 13, with first serve set for 2 p.m., at Alley Gymnasium.