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It was quite the weekend for the UNF athletic department as two of the school’s most successful teams took home conference championships. Stellar performances from women’s tennis and beach volleyball made sure that all eyes within the ASUN were on the Ospreys.

The winning week started off with UNF women’s tennis partaking in the ASUN Women’s Tennis Championship. The Ospreys are no strangers to success in this tournament, having won the last five consecutive championships. The team went 17-7 on the season, but were undefeated in conference play. This dominance over their ASUN counterparts translated nicely to the tournament, to say the least.

UNF carried a five-game winning streak into the tournament with them, and this momentum wouldn’t be stopped. Dominant 4-0 wins over Stetson and Lipscomb in the quarterfinal and semifinal propelled them to a showdown with FGCU in the championship match. 

The second-seeded Eagles out of the ASUN south division put up more of a fight than the Ospreys’ previous opponents, but it would be in vain as UNF prevailed 4-2 to win their sixth consecutive ASUN Women’s Tennis Championship. This is the ninth ASUN Championship in program history. UNF now qualifies for the NCAA Women’s Tennis Tournament, taking place at the USTA National Campus in Orlando.

While Saturday’s win for women’s tennis was a great moment, the Ospreys were just getting started. Also going on this week was the ASUN Beach Volleyball Championship. UNF made their way through the preliminary rounds to face off against the hosting Stetson Hatters in the championship match. 

It all came down to Sunday’s meeting in DeLand, where the Ospreys would have to take down the team that had swept them on the season series. The degree of difficulty was compounded by the fact that they had to win four consecutive games after losing on the opening day of the tournament. 

Against these daunting odds, the Ospreys held firm and took down the Hatters, winning three of five sets. They now qualify for the 2021 NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship, taking place in Gulf Shores, Alabama in early May. 

It’s not very often a school has an opportunity to win a conference championship, but to win two on the same weekend is absurd! It just goes to show that despite longtime athletic director Lee Moon retiring, UNF athletics appears to be in good hands.

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