The University of North Florida volleyball team dropped their ninth straight match when Jacksonville University swept the Ospreys on Sunday night at UNF Arena. 

While the Ospreys came close to winning a set a few times, they ultimately fell to their cross-town rival in a 3-0 decision. The final score fails to show how close the match was; UNF lost all three sets by six points or less. Amy Burkhardt also notched her 12th double-double of the season.  

First Set

The Ospreys and Dolphins played to a 5-5 tie in the first set. After a successful challenge, UNF went on a 3-0 run to take an 8-5 lead. JU responded by going on a 5-1 run to give the Dolphins a 10-9 advantage. 

JU dominated on serve, which led to a 25-19 opening set win. The Ospreys had a higher hitting percentage, but the Dolphins’ service aces were the difference.

Second Set

After a 13-12 UNF lead, JU went on a 3-0 run to even the set at 15. The Ospreys managed to take the lead at 21-19, but the Dolphins came up clutch in the set by scoring six of the final eight points. JU won the second set 25-21 to take a 2-0 match lead. 

UNF shot an abysmal 0.056 in the second set, with only 11 kills on 36 attempts. JU didn’t fare much better, shooting .211 in the set with 15 kills on 38 attempts. 

Third Set

A back-and-forth affair led to a 15-13 JU advantage at the first timeout. UNF’s 3-0 run tied the game at 20, but JU found a way to win the set 25-23 in the crunch time. Both teams secured better attack percentages in the third set, with JU leading at 18 kills. 

UNF head coach Kirsten Wright reiterated the Ospreys’ lack of execution late in sets and the need to develop as a team. 

“When it got tight, when it mattered the most, we didn’t show up,” said Wright. “That’s been the story of our season.”

Sitting at 3-12 on the season, Wright said UNF needs to “feel what a win is like.” Leadership, belief and execution are the keys to snapping this losing streak, according to Wright. 

“We need to learn to execute in the clutch, that’s the biggest thing.”

The Ospreys will look to get back on the winning track as they travel to Charleston University on Tuesday. The first serve is at 6 p.m.

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