JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Closing out the non-conference slate and the UNF Sunshine Invitational, USC Upstate volleyball displayed its resilience in a match that tracked towards a repeat of the team's opener of the event. Pressing the service game, the Spartans flipped the script Saturday, walking away with a season-high service ace total and a five-set victory against host North Florida.
 
Landing 14 winners against the Osprey, the Spartans registered its highest single-match service ace total in nearly two seasons—the most since landing 17 versus Presbyterian on Oct. 19, 2021—as five of the team's six primary servers landed multiple aces. Upstate also applied pressure to its opponent at the net, recording a season-high-tying 10.5 team total blocks, the teams second match this weekend with the blocking total and the third match this season with double-digit team blocks.
 
Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 3; North Florida 2 (25-18; 21-25; 25-22; 17-25; 15-8)
Records: USC Upstate (7-5; 0-0 Big South); North Florida (6-6; 0-0 ASUN)
Location: UNF Arena | Jacksonville, Fla.
 
How It Happened
Competing for an opportunity to finish the non-conference portion of the team's schedule and the UNF Sunshine Invitational over .500 and competing for a de facto second-place finish at the event, USC Upstate accomplished each of these things with a five-set victory in a back-and-forth match over North Florida.
 
Leading the team's efforts in pressing the service game, a pair of Spartans, senior outside hitter Zelasia Edwards and sophomore middle blocker Ady O'Grady tied career-highs, landing four and three service aces, respectively. Senior defensive specialist/libero Caroline Cleveland, junior outside hitter Ashleigh Nicoll, and junior setter Kayla Spangler joined Edwards and O'Grady with multiple winners, each landing two apiece.
 
Supplementing the team's service, its two middle blockers posted career afternoons as O'Grady and senior Nikki Deslatte accrued a combined 29 kills and .415 hitting efficiency. O'Grady tied a career-high with 15 kills, recording her total with a .355 hitting efficiency while Deslatte tied a career-best with 14 kills—her second straight match with 14 terminations—hitting a career-high .500 in the match.
 
Nicoll rounded out the trio of Spartans with 10 or more kills, registering 12 on the afternoon. She added 10 digs, one of three Upstate players in double-figures, to record her second straight double, her fifth of the season and the sixth of her career. Joining her with double-digit digs, Cleveland and Edwards each scooped up 10 balls.
 
Leading Upstate to a .259 team hitting efficiency, Spangler passed out a career-high 46 assists, eclipsing 40 assists in a match for the first time in her career. She's also the first Spartan setter with 40-plus assists in a match since Bruna Avila passed out 41 against UNC Asheville on March 18, 2021, and she's also the first Upstate setter since Annalisa Mendoza (47) on Nov. 15, 2019, to pass out 45 or more assists in a match.
 
UP Next for the Spartans
With the team's non-conference slate coming to a close following the UNF Sunshine Invitational, Upstate returns back to the G.B. Hodge Center for the opening of Big South Conference action. The Spartans host UNC Asheville for a 4:00 p.m. ET first serve on Sep. 23 to open league play.
 
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