STATESBORO, Ga. – Morgan Van Alstine led four Ospreys in double-figure kills with 15 and added five blocks as North Florida dealt Georgia Southern a 3-1 (25-20, 25-19, 22-25, 25-16) volleyball defeat in Hanner Fieldhouse Tuesday night.

Katie Bange led Georgia Southern with 10 kills, 15 assists, six digs and three blocks, and Alex Beecher tallied 24 digs and five assists.

Carinne Turner recorded 13 kills and 12 digs for North Florida (8-4), while Gabby O'Connell added 12 kills and nine digs. Katarina Raicevic had 12 kills, and Kimberly Ferguson posted a match-high 26 digs.

It was the second straight home loss for the Eagles (6-6), who won their first six matches in Hanner Fieldhouse this season.

The story
North Florida wasn't flashy but beat the Eagles in almost every statistical category. They out-hit the Eagles .255 to .146 and had the edge in digs, blocks and service aces.

Trailing 16-14 in the first set, North Florida capped the frame with a 9-4 run, and the Ospreys never trailed in the second set while taking a 2-0 lead in the match. 

The Eagles scored three straight points to break a 17-17 tie in the third and went on to win the set 25-22, but North Florida broke an 11-11 tie in the fourth with a an 11-1 spurt to open a 10-point lead. Seven points came on the serve of Turner, who served two aces during the stretch.

Quotable from head coach Dustin Wood
"North Florida played well tonight. They did the little things better than we did. They dug balls and kept balls in play. They were very, very good tonight."

"I wasn't happy with the way we came out tonight. We prepared very well; we just didn't execute and there was no fire. We have to regroup and go to Alabama and hopefully get that fire back in us."

Next up
The Eagles travel to Alabama for the Crimson-White Tournament this weekend, where they face Presbyterian, East Tennessee State and host Alabama. 

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