Volleyball falls in the part one of the River City Rumble
September 23, 2017
Video by Jas Chung-Campbell
It came down to the wire in the intense first matchup of the River City Rumble as North Florida (6-9 overall, 0-1 ASUN) fell 3-1 to the Jacksonville University Dolphins (6-7 overall, 1-0 ASUN) on Sept. 22 in the UNF Arena.
“Jacksonville has a nice team and when you are playing your crosstown rival there’s a little more energy in the building and this match couldn’t have been any closer tonight,” said Head Coach Steve Loeswick.
The first set knocked out in front of a crowd of over 1,000 people. Jacksonville came out strong and took the lead early with a 4-1 score.
The Dolphins held down the Ospreys with their impressive defense and held the lead the entire set, 25-22.
Ready for redemption, North Florida started off hot in the second set. They took a 6-1 lead early and held on for the set.
The Ospreys closed it out with a 25-13 set victory and tied the game at 1-1.
In the start of the third, UNF and JU came out with tight scoring. In the end, the Dolphins won the set and took the game lead 2-1.
During the fourth and final set, the game became more intense and exciting than ever. Jacksonville took an early 6-2 lead.
The Ospreys wouldn’t let the Dolphins hold them down, making a dramatic comeback to tie the game at seven.
The close scoring continued, through the rest of the set, but the game took an unexpected turn when the score was tied at 20.
The crowd started cheering louder than they did before for both sides. With the game on the line, the fans were screaming their loudest to cheer their team to victory.
The Ospreys went back and forth, keeping the fans and the coaches on the edge. From fans gasping for air to pulling their own hair the atmosphere in the building took a sudden change. They went from excited and happy to nervous and fearful.
Loeswick described the tense moments as a time with “a lot of pressure” on the court.
With the pressure on, the Ospreys and Dolphins stayed neck-to-neck for the next few volleys. The game went from a volleyball match to a battle for two consecutive points.
With emotions high and their adrenalin pumping the Dolphins had the sweet taste of victory in their mouth as they closed out the game 32-30.
It all started with the game tied at 30. Two Dolphin players would be able to grab back-to-back kills winning the game.
“It was a pretty even match it could’ve went both ways,” said Loeswick. “Unfortunately we didn’t make those last couple of plays that we needed to.”
The Dolphins racked up their first conference win, while handing the Ospreys their first conference loss.
After the close and painful loss, the Ospreys stay home to host their next game as they prepare for a rematch against the Florida A&M Rattlers on Sept. 27 at the UNF Arena at 6 p.m.
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