The Ospreys faced their toughest challenge yet in the form of the TCU Horned Frogs. Despite suffering their first loss of the season, UNF still took home a pair of impressive wins.

The Fight at the Fort began for UNF with a matchup against Houston Baptist on Thursday afternoon. While the Ospreys swept HBU, the match was more competitive than meets the eye. The Huskies only lost each set by an average of 4 points, putting up a solid fight despite the sweep.

After a strong opening win, the Ospreys had their hands full with TCU. This match presented an opportunity for UNF to pick up their second Power Five win in less than a week. 

The hosting Horned Frogs entered the duel with UNF with two losses, but these both came against top-10 nationally ranked teams Wisconsin and Minnesota. TCU started off strong, rolling through the first set to a 25-16 win.

The second set was by far the most promising for the Ospreys, who took the Frogs to the very last point. Now done two sets to none, UNF faced a must-win situation in the third set. 

Unfortunately, TCU would finish things off with a 25-19 win. This served as the first blemish on UNF’s record this season, ending the 7-0 start. The Ospreys didn’t have time to hang their heads, though, as they still had one more match prior to returning home.

A Friday meeting with Louisiana Tech capped off UNF’s time in Fort Worth, ending the trip on a sweeter note. Things didn’t always look this way early on as Louisiana Tech started off strong, taking the opening set 28-26.

Things would turn around however, as the Ospreys found their footing in the next few sets. When looking at the stats, it’s easy to see how they accomplished this. UNF dominated every category, specifically digs. Three straight wins followed the loss in the first set. 

The Ospreys stringed together a nice win to end the weekend on a good note. One loss to a very talented TCU team is nothing to get hung up on. UNF now sits at 8-1 on the year and will be back in action at home next weekend, hosting a tournament of their own.

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