JACKSONVILLE – One of the best fan turnouts in years contributed to an amazing volleyball match Friday night at the Historic Swisher Gym.

Jacksonville University and the University of North Florida met for the 32nd iteration of the River City Rumble, and the match lived up to the name, requiring five sets to reach a decision. The Ospreys had just a bit more left in the tank in the extra set, winning the match 3-2 in a game that featured both dominant sets and drag out battles.

"Swisher Gym was unreal tonight," said Head Coach Julie Darty. "Our fans are amazing and the atmosphere was electric."

The first set was contentious early; UNF led by just one point after the first 17. But something clicked for the Ospreys on the next point, and it seemed as if one heartbeat later they led by seven, 15-8. JU broke the streak with a kill by Natalie Wehner and a North Florida attack error closed the gap to 15-10, but the Dolphins managed only two more points in the set, falling 12-25.

But Jacksonville wasn't done quite yet. The Dolphins opened the second set with a 9-3 run, forcing an early timeout for UNF. The Ospreys won the point out of the timeout, but JU wouldn't allow North Florida to score consecutive points in the set until they won back-to-back points at 10-17 and 11-17. The Dolphins cruised the rest of the set, tying the match 1-1 with a 25-20 victory.

The huge comeback in the second set inspired another big run in the third. JU jumped out to a 12-5 lead, forcing yet another early UNF timeout. The Dolphins dominated the entire set, out-hitting the Ospreys .419 to -0.029. JU took the third set 25-11, and looked ready to run North Florida out of the gym.

Unfortunately, UNF had other plans. The Ospreys capitalized on seven Dolphin errors to take a 9-2 lead, forcing Darty to call a timeout. JU won the first two points out of the timeout, and pulled back within four points at 7-11. But another unforced error cost the Dolphins their momentum, and UNF built their lead up to 11, 10-21. JU had no timeouts left, so the veteran leadership had to step up. And they did in a big way. Jessica Armstrong and Cristina Finan swung some dominant strikes, and Mackenzie Swan had 12 digs in the fourth set alone to keep JU alive. Still trailing by three at 20-23, Mallory Mattingly sandwiched two kills around a North Florida error to tie the game at 23-23. UNF got to match point on a kill by Gabby O'Connell, but another Mattingly kill tied it up 24-24 and momentum rested solely with JU. Nevertheless, UNF's Carinne Turner refused to let the match end, winning the final two points to take the fourth set 24-26.

The fifth set reflected the theme of the rest of the night. The set had five ties in the first 16 points, and also featured big runs by both teams. But the slightly more experienced Osprey roster had just a bit more left in the tank, and managed to hang on long enough to win 15-11. The match went to North Florida 3-2.

"We're young and we still have some trouble with consistent play," said Darty. "This atmosphere and this rivalry was a bit tough to handle. Jizzy had an amazing night and came through every time we needed her, and so many members of this team showed up in big moments. But UNF had a terrific match, and their experience showed tonight. I can't thank Whitney, Bambi, Scott, and the rest of the JU Athletics marketing staff enough for getting all of those people here tonight. A record turnout meant so much to us. Every single one of my girls felt that support, and that was such a huge factor in this match."

Final Stats

• Mattingly and Gesualdo each collected their fourth double-doubles of the year. Mattingly had 14 kills and 13 digs, and Gesualdo had 43 assists and 14 digs. The senior from Ponce, Puerto Rico came within five kills of a triple-double.
• Swan dug 22 balls on the night while dishing out five assists and collecting two aces.
• Olga Nushtayeva had 11 kills and five digs, and Armstrong continued her efficient junior campaign with 10 kills on a .455 attack percentage while also collecting six blocks.
• The total attendance for Friday's match was 1,013, a new record for volleyball attendance. The previous record of 1,012 was set on September 16, 2009, also against North Florida.