Volleyball is a game of inches, and the Ospreys learned that the hard way. 

In an exciting match where both sides deserved to win, the University of North Florida fell to Central Arkansas in five sets on Saturday afternoon at the UNF Arena. 

Graduate outside hitter Kailey McKnight posted a season high 15 kills, and five different Ospreys registered 10 or more kills. With the loss, the Ospreys fall to 1-3 in conference play, while Central Arkansas maintains their perfect conference record at 4-0.

Set 1

UNF opened the game strong, building a 7-3 lead to begin the first set thanks to contributions from McKnight, senior opposite hitter Mackenzie Piester, freshman outside hitter Leah McDonald and senior middle blocker Kierstyn McFall. The Ospreys mixed their timings and attack patterns well to keep the Sugar Bears guessing.

Eventually, Central Arkansas adjusted. Outside hitter Laci Bohannon led the Sugar Bears comeback, with some help courtesy of misplaced spikes from Osprey attackers. Once the dust settled, Central Arkansas carried a 13-10 lead, forcing the UNF coaching staff to call a timeout.

The Ospreys fought back, immediately going on a quick 3-0 run to tie the set, with an ace from junior libero Emma Pohlmann and a kill from junior middle blocker Yarimar Francis Garay. From there, the two sides traded blows, with the Ospreys holding a slim 21-20 lead going into the next break.

From there, the Ospreys were able to close out the set 25-22, with the final point being won by a strong spike from freshman middle blocker Katelyn Bowman.

Set 2

The Sugar Bears got off to a fast start in the second set, building a 2-7 lead thanks to kills from outside hitter Samantha Cousins, middle blocker McKinzie Haas and setter Caylan Koons. They carried that momentum into the first media timeout, adding points on kills from Bohannon and opposite hitter Gabby Tuianna, building a 6-15 advantage.

From there, Central Arkansas had no issues closing out the set. Koons continued to assist Bohannon and Cousins, while Tuianna and Haas formed a powerful blocking wall that UNF attackers had trouble playing around, leading to a 19-25 second set victory for the Sugar Bears.

Set 3

The third set began as a back-and-forth affair, with both sides getting plenty of kills. With the score knotted at 10-10, the Ospreys began to pull away with an 8-0 run, including the longest rally of the afternoon that ended with a kill from junior outside hitter Kaili Doctor that brought the crowd to their feet. This forced the Central Arkansas coaching staff to call a timeout, in an attempt to halt North Florida’s momentum.

The Sugar Bears attempted to make up lost ground with a quick 5-0 run coming out of the break. They managed to close the gap to within a point on an ace from Bohannon, bringing the score to 24-23. The Ospreys didn’t let the pressure phase them, as off of the next serve, Dawson found Piester with a well-placed set to give UNF the 25-23 set win.

Set 4

Similar to the third set, it was impossible to separate the two sides early in the fourth set. With the score level at 13-13, Bohannon grabbed two quick kills to put Central Arkansas ahead, going into the media timeout.

Freshman outside hitter Kendall Newbold tried to will the Ospreys back into the set, putting together a string of kills with a few from Garay that brought the Ospreys to within one point of the Sugar Bears. From there, the two sides traded points back and forth, with UNF getting contributions from McFall, Piester and McKnight, while Central Arkansas centered its attack around Bohannon and Haas.

After a UNF timeout, the Ospreys put together a 3-0 run that featured two kills from Doctor and a kill from Piester, forcing the Sugar Bears’ coaching staff to call a timeout of their own with the set tied at 22-22. After the break, Central Arkansas recovered with three dominant points in a row, taking the set by a score of 22-25.

Set 5

Piester led the way early for the Ospreys in the final set of the match, collecting two early kills to help UNF keep pace with Central Arkansas. The Sugar Bears’ blocking duo of Haas and Tuianna once again posed some challenges for the Osprey attackers, as they collected early blocks and forced North Florida into mistakes. Going into the first media timeout, Central Arkansas held a narrow 7-8 lead.

The two sides continued to battle, with neither team ceding an inch on the court. Following a UNF timeout, the Ospreys responded with back-to-back kills from McFall and Doctor, taking a 14-13 lead and earning a match point opportunity. After a spirited rally from both sides, Bohannon leapt up and attempted a cross-court shot to try and get around the North Florida blocking tandem, but her spike went awry. It rolled over the net and landed near the judge in a spot that was so close to the line, it was impossible to tell whether it was in or not.

Initially, it was ruled out of play and awarded as an Osprey point, which would’ve handed them the win. However, just as quickly as the UNF faithful celebrated, they grew quiet with apprehension as the announcement was made that the play was under review. After taking a closer look at the replay, the call was reversed, much to the dismay of the UNF coaching staff and players.

Central Arkansas didn’t let their new lifeline go to waste, battling to a 16-18 win, sealing the contest on a clutch kill from Bohannon to keep their unbeaten start in conference play alive.

Post-Game Thoughts

After the game, Osprey head coach Kirsten Wright didn’t hold back her emotions immediately following the overturned point.

“It was gut-wrenching. I feel like we got robbed of the match,” she said. “I have to watch it back. It came down to one point… we’re not going to sulk about it.”

Beyond her frustrations, coach Wright also expressed her optimism in the way her group had played, citing “games like these” as growth opportunities for the younger players.

“We can be disappointed, but they laid their hearts on the line,” she said. “They worked through nerves and had some great plays. I’m really proud of them, I think that’s going to produce a lot of confidence.”

Up Next

The Ospreys travel to Nashville to take on Lipscomb on Friday, Oct. 10. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m

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