Over the weekend, UNF Volleyball split two matches against ASUN foes, winning at West Georgia on Friday and losing to Queens on Sunday. 

On Friday night, four Ospreys with double-figure kills led UNF to a conference-opening victory over West Georgia. Then, on Sunday, North Florida traveled west to Charlotte and dropped a hard-fought four-set result to Queens.  

UNF vs West Georgia

Neither team led by more than two points until midway through set one, when senior  Kailey McKnight recorded her second kill to extend North Florida’s advantage to three, 14-11. Adding to its lead, UNF compiled the set’s longest run with two straight kills and an attack error, forcing a West Georgia timeout. 

McKnight’s fourth kill gave North Florida a five-point advantage, its largest lead of the set. Needing just two points to close out set one, senior Mackenzie Piester spiked the ball in bounds, securing the first set for UNF. 

In set two, the Ospreys started faster, jumping out to a 10-4 lead thanks to several Wolf attack errors. West Georgia attempted to come back, scoring four of the next five points, but UNF answered with its own 4-1 run. 

Leading 16-12, UNF was due for one more scoring run. Taking advantage of two additional attack errors, the Ospreys racked off an 8-3 run, culminating in two McKnight service aces.

With her fifth kill, Yarimar Francis Garay doubled the Ospreys’ set lead, securing North Florida’s 25-16 set victory. During set three, it was West Georgia that started fast.

While McKnight’s four early set kills brought UNF within one, 5-6, the Wolves responded with a 12-3 run, nearly doubling UNF, 15-7. Following this point, North Florida failed to reduce West Georgia’s lead below five or score three consecutive points. 

Trailing 22-14, UNF capitalized on two Wolf errors, culminating in a 4-1 run. However, despite two straight Francis Garay kills, UNF’s comeback fell short and the Ospreys dropped set three.

For both teams in the final frame, it was more of the same. West Georgia continued to commit attack errors and McKnight added to her kill count. At the halfway point, UNF never led by more than three, but prevented West Georgia from stealing its advantage. 

Beyond the middle mark, Back-to-back kills from junior Kaili Doctor made it 17-14 UNF. Nonetheless, whenever UNF was ready to put this match away, West Georgia always had a response. 

But in their responses, West Georgia never produced a lead change until now. Taking its first lead of the set, West Georgia capitalized on three straight UNF attack errors to make it 22-20 Wolves. 

Despite this, Kendall Newbold didn’t want this game to go to a decisive fifth set. The freshman spiked in two straight kills, tying the game at 23. 

One point away from starting 1-0 in ASUN play, the Ospreys couldn’t finish the game without extra points. Although UNF had its chance to close out the match first, West Georgia was one point away from forcing a fifth set twice. 

Down 26-25, UNF scored three straight points to secure its first ASUN win in as many tries. Four Ospreys reached double-digit kills: McKnight, Doctor, Newbold, and Francis Garay. 

UNF vs Queens

Tied at six to open set one, Queens went on a 7-3 run, prompting UNF to call a timeout. Senior middleblocker Kierstyn McFall helped UNF cut into its deficit, producing two straight kills to make it 16-14 Queens. 

Before a Royals timeout, Doctor’s third kill tied the score at 17. After the timeout, Queens looked to have made adjustments, as the Royals scored six of the next eight points. Trailing 24-20, UNF cut Queens’ lead in half, but ultimately couldn’t reduce it more. 

Looking to avoid a 2-0 set hole, the Ospreys didn’t waste any time to prevent this from occurring. Opposite hitter Newbold scored half of North Florida’s first eight points, leading to a Queens timeout and 8-2 start. 

Ensuing a scoring barrage, the Ospreys went on a 9-1 run, making it 20-7 UNF. With two kills each from Doctor and Newbold, the Ospreys won set two in dominant fashion, tying the match at one. 

At the beginning of set three, UNF began on the positive side, winning most of the early points. Still, when both teams reached 11 points, Queens quickly took the lead. 

In what was a back-and-forth affair, Queens came out on top, stealing set three from UNF. Set four was more of the same, with both teams trading blows before reaching double-digit points. 

Tied at nine apiece, Queens scored five of the next six points, including three straight kills by Emma Norris. Even though UNF called a timeout following Queens’ scoring run, the Ospreys allowed three more Queens kills, generating their largest deficit, 19-12. 

Reducing the deficit to three, 20-23, the Ospreys failed to score any more points. As a result, UNF settled for a weekend road trip split. In total, Newbold was the only Osprey with double-digit kills, her second straight match with that mark. 

UNF goes back under .500, holding a 7-8 overall record before returning to Jacksonville to face the Dolphins on Oct. 2 at Swisher Gymnasium. First serve is at 7 p.m. for the latest edition of the ‘River City Rumble.

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