Winning is contagious. Just ask the three UNF sports teams that saw competition over the long weekend. Winning against a Power Five team, overtime victories and roaring crowds are just some of what has happened on campus in the last few days.

Let’s take a look at what exactly went down.

It all started on Friday Sept. 3.

There were two big events happening on campus at the same time. UNF’s mens soccer team was up against Mercer and the women’s volleyball team had their hands full up against Virginia Tech.

Scoring in the men’s soccer competition was plentiful and the two teams were trading shots back and forth as the score was tied 3-3 after regulation time. Then, in the 95th minute, Joaquin Acuna delivered his second goal of the match. This win marked UNF’s second win of the season as they improve to 2-1-0.

As the men’s soccer team finished up their match, the volleyball team was battling for each point as the crowd was getting rowdy inside the UNF Arena. 

Undefeated UNF was going up against undefeated Virginia Tech, and neither team wanted to take a loss in this one. The first two sets were split with UNF taking the first and Virginia Tech taking the second.

As the Ospreys grabbed the third set to take a 2-1 set lead, the Hokies were hot on their tails. Equalizing the match at two apiece by winning the fourth, the two teams were headed into the fifth with everything on the line.

Virginia Tech held a match point at 14-13 and a long rally followed by a kill from Anna Butler saw the match even once again. With an important match-saving moment under their belts, the Ospreys would rally to win the next two points and defeated Virginia Tech. With this win, it was UNF’s first dub against a power five team since 2005. 

Saturday brought home another win for UNF volleyball. By defeating Georgia State 3-1, the Ospreys improved to 5-0 on the season. The team effort included being down a set by dropping the first and then catching steam as the match went on. New additions like Annie Antar and Dariana Hollingsworth-Santana have paired nicely with established members like Solimar Cestero and Julianna Askew. 

With the Ospreys fresh off of two superb contests, one would think they wouldn’t have the energy to sustain the momentum. All of those thoughts were quickly canned as the Ospreys completed their 3-0 sweep of Davidson on Sunday.

In a match that lasted one hour and 22 minutes, the Ospreys had no problem defeating their sixth non-conference foe of the season. As this was the final match of the UNF Invitational, this victory gave the Ospreys their second non-conference tournament win of the season and a 6-0 record.

Hats off to the UNF volleyball team on their impressive start.

UNF’s women’s soccer team was in town as they hosted Winthrop at the same time the volleyball team was in action. The game was a little one-sided, with UNF retaining possession for most of the match and many shots on goal. Winthrop’s goalie was a familiar sight as the Ospreys kept finding opportunities and finding lanes.

ASUN preseason player of the year Thais Reiss scored her fourth goal of the season, while other goals came from Carmel Oliveira and Hannah Farmer. This marked Farmer’s first goal as an Osprey after transferring from the College of Charleston in the offseason.

An undefeated Labor day weekend proves that UNF has their sights set on big things this season. Follow along with Spinnaker Sports for all the latest UNF news.

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