JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Stetson Volleyball fell to North Florida in four sets, 3-1, Friday night at the newly renovated UNF Arena.
It was tight through the first set as neither side could go up by more than three. The Ospreys had the advantage for most of the first set with the Hatters snagging the occasional lead in the tightly contested set. Going to the brink with North Florida on set point, 24-23, before back-to-back kills from
Leilani Vitale and
Sophia Groom put the Hatters on the precipice. An attack error from Mahalia White clinched the first set for SU.
Second set was more of the first with each side keeping the score close until the home side notched an 8-0 run to go up 22-16. The Hatters were down but climbed right back in it with a 5-0 run. The Ospreys pushed the Hatters to the brink again, this time 24-21. This time, the home side closed out the Hatters 25-22.
North Florida got in front in the third set, 9-5, and rode the advantage to a 25-18 set three win. The Hatters cut the deficit to one but the Ospreys pushed to the seven-point set win.
The fourth frame was tight like the first two but with the home side eventually pulling away. The set was tied at 11-11 before North Florida took a lead it would not relinquish en route to a 25-20 fourth-set win.
Nyah Molina [24 assists, 12 digs] and
Elena Djokovic [16 Kills, 10 digs] registered double-doubles. Vitale notched nine kills with 12 digs, falling just shy of a double-double. Molina also added three aces to the Hatter cause. Groom added a pair of blocks
Stetson will welcome Jacksonville to the Edmunds Center for senior day and to close the regular season Sunday at 1 p.m.
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).
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