DELAND, Fla. – Stetson Volleyball needs one win in the final weekend of the season to secure a postseason berth in the ASUN tournament. Standing in front of the Hatters for the two close-out games, at North Florida, which has secured its bid, and Jacksonville in the Edmunds Center. Sunday will also be senior day to honor four Hatters prior to the contest. Both matches will be live streamed, North Florida on ESPN+ Jacksonville on YouTube.
"I think we need to focus on the little details," head coach
Yang Deng said "by the time we get to this point in the season, no one is going to improve dramatically, it's how can our team make sure we are detailed and disciplined."
North Florida struggled with the non-conference schedule, 3-9 record entering ASUN play, but the level of competition was high with UNF playing against Florida, Virginia and Auburn prepared the Ospreys for the conference slate. UNF started hot beating FGCU before dropping its second contest to Stetson at Swisher Gymnasium. More recently, the Ospreys have won five of their last seven matches.
Mhalia White leads the UNF attack with 355 kills notching 4.13 per set. Solimar Cestero and Kailey McKnight support with both over two kills per set and 200 on the season. Savannah Cook sets the offense, 605 assists and 8.52 per set, but has had relief from Jenna Zimmermann (353 sets, 8.02 per set) that has played a little more than half the matches and sets that Cook has played.
Defensively, Rocio Moro averages almost five digs per set [4.83] with McKnight notching 2.44, and four other Ospreys around the 1.5 range. Maddie Boyd has blocked 96 attacks in 100 sets with Kierstyn McFall trailing narrowly behind with 91 [.95 per set].
Sunday with the final home match of the regular comes the traditional senior day. Middle Blockers
Alexis Thompson and
Kennedy Muldrow along with Outside Hitters
Elena Djokovic and
Yamelis Mojica will be honored in the annual ceremony.
"I'm looking forward to good volleyball," Muldrow said "I'm ready for us to competitive and to put our best foot forward. I think what has stuck out this season is our inability to give up. We've had our ups and downs, but you can see the trend of 'we're stuck in a hole, but we get ourselves out of that hole' and I think it really showed this weekend in our five-set win."
"This group has contributed with leadership and maturity," Deng said about the senior class "They are 100 percent on the same page for the culture I want for this team. They are like half of a volleyball coach on the court. Getting almost one-third of the team on the same page for you all the time is very unique, and I really appreciate this class."
The final opponent for the Hatters is Jacksonville, which will come to the Edmunds Center on Sunday with first serve scheduled for 1 p.m. The Dolphin offense flows through Haley Hart with 318 kills on the season and an average of 4.13 per set. Jenna McNamara and Julia de Sa are both key contributors with 271 and 233 kills respectively. Rebecca Rocassin has recorded 987 of the 1086 Dolphin assists. Defending for JU is Kariana Ayala-Drew averaging nearly five digs per set [4.93]. McNamara [2.04] and Rocassin [1.90] aid in defense with each getting close to two digs per set. Lyric Love [1.15] and Haley Hart [1.14] have been big in front of the net with each recording over a block per set.
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS (PDF).
Get in on the conversation on social media by following Stetson Athletics on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For video content, visit our YouTube channels: Stetson Hatters, Stetson Athletics and, for live events, Hatter Vision.
