The University of North Florida volleyball program had another winning season in 2023. The team finished above .500 with a 9-7 conference record and an appearance in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship Semifinals. However, the team saw many departures following the season—most notably long-time veterans Mahalia White and Rocio Moro.
Despite this, head coach Kristen Wright and staff have been hard at work in the recruiting process, showcasing four new freshman signings as the team prepares for 2024, the first of which is a versatile middle blocker in Madison Hammermeister.
Fresh out of Canterbury School in Fort Myers, Florida, Hammermeister was voted an Elite 11 player in Southwest Florida, made all-area and all-region selections and appeared on the Florida all-star team, according to UNF Volleyball’s social media.
The Ospreys also have been recruiting from out of state. The team’s second freshman signing came from Cincinnati: outside hitter Dakota Spurrier. According to UNF Volleyball’s social media, Spurrier was on the Cincinnati All-City First Team, selected as District Player of the Year in Ohio and received first-team all-state honors before signing with the Ospreys.
The team added some depth at the setter position by signing Kacey Kazmierski out of Lakeway, Texas. According to the team’s social media, Kazmierski comes with no shortage of accolades, earning two 26-6A Most Valuable Setter honors, two selections to the 26-6A All-District First Team, and a selection to the Texas Girls Coaches Association All-State team, among others.
But perhaps the most valuable signing came at the libero position. To wrap up the Ospreys’ 2024 first-year class, they signed libero Kamila Mieles Rosado, who hails from Puerto Rico.
According to UNF Volleyball, Rosado was selected as her high school’s Most Valuable Player three years in a row, was chosen as the all-star player for her club team in the 2023 Puerto Rico Volleyball Championship and was the second-ranked libero in the 2022 Girls’ Youth Pan-American Volleyball Cup in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This signing added some much-needed depth at the libero spot following the departure of the record-breaking Rocio Moro.
The Ospreys added a lot of variety in this 2024 class, as each signing came at a different position on the court, so this fall will look much different than the last for the UNF Volleyball program.
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