FORT MYERS, Fla. – Eastern Kentucky University, the No. 3 seed, will begin play at the Atlantic Sun Conference Volleyball Tournament on Thursday against No. 6 seed North Florida.
The match will begin at 10 a.m. and air live on ESPN+. The ASUN semifinals will be Friday at 4 p.m. and the championship match is scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m.
THE COLONELS
- EKU went 21-7 during the regular season and finished third in the ASUN with an 11-5 league mark. It is the first time since 2014 that the Colonels have finished among the top three teams in their conference. The 21 wins tie the 2014 squad for the most by an EKU team since 2005 when the Colonels won 23 matches.
- Two Colonels rank among the top 50 players in the nation for aces.
Chloe Mason is 18th with 0.50 per set.
Kambree Lucas is 31st with 0.46 per set. Lucas has served up 12 aces in the last five matches.
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Sarah Mitchell, this week's ASUN Player of the Week, leads the team and is sixth in the league with 3.17 kills per set. She is eighth with 3.57 points per set.
- The Colonels are first in the ASUN in points (17.80/set), hitting percentage (.255), assists (13.14/set) and kills (14.03/set). The team is second in opponent hitting percentage (.198), digs (16.00/set), aces (1.87/set) and opponent aces (1.12/set).
- EKU has held four of its last eight opponents to a hitting percentage below .200. Only four opponents all season have hit above .300 against the Colonels, one of which was North Florida (.305).
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
- North Florida finished the regular season 16-14 overall and 9-7 in ASUN matches. The Ospreys were 5-2 in their last seven matches.
- UNF ranks fourth in the ASUN in kills (12.74/set), fourth in aces (1.73/set), fourth in digs (14.64/set) fifth in points (16.15/set), seventh in hitting percentage (.221) and eighth in blocks (1.69/set).
- Kailey McKnight leads the team with 3.21 kills and 0.37 aces per set. In 973 attacks, she has hit .198 for the season.
- Rocio Moro, the reigning ASUN Defensive Player of the Week, leads the conference with 4.98 digs per set. Maddie Boyd (0.85/set) and Kierstyn McFall (0.61/set) lead the Ospreys in blocks.
INSIDE THE SERIES
- North Florida has a 3-1 edge in the all-time series. The first meeting between the two teams was in 2015. The Colonels earned a 3-0 win in Richmond last season. The Ospreys picked up a 3-1 win in Jacksonville on Oct. 13.
- Mitchell had a team-best 14 kills in the meeting with UNF earlier this season. McKnight led North Florida with 14 kills and Boyd had seven blocks. The Colonels committed 26 errors compared to just 13 for the Ospreys. North Florida had a 9-4 edge in blocks.
