University of North Florida North Florida Volleyball closed the Eagle Invitational with a 3-0 loss to Georgia Southern on Sept. 20, 2026, at Hanner Fieldhouse in Statesboro, Ga. Georgia Southern won the sets 25-22, 25-16 and 25-22. North Florida entered the match at 7-5, while Georgia Southern entered at 8-4.
Leah McDonald led North Florida with 13 kills on .212 hitting and added seven digs. The sophomore outside hitter matched her career high in kills and recorded at least 10 kills for the fifth consecutive match. McDonald also finished with two total blocks.
The opening set featured 13 ties and five lead changes. Dakota Spurrier put North Florida ahead 10-8 with a kill, and McDonald extended the lead to 14-10 with another kill. Georgia Southern then used an 8-3 run late in the set to secure the 25-22 win.
Georgia Southern controlled the second set after Katelyn Bowman cut North Florida’s deficit to 11-9 with an ace. Kaili Doctor tied the set at 14-14 with an ace, but Georgia Southern finished with a 17-9 advantage in kills and won 25-16.
Georgia Southern held a narrow 6-5 lead early in the third set. McDonald recorded her 10th kill of the match, and Haleina Bowers added a kill that reduced North Florida’s deficit to 18-15. Georgia Southern led 23-22 before taking the final two points to complete the sweep.
Sofia Dawson recorded 35 assists for North Florida. Bowers finished with six kills on .500 hitting, while Doctor added six kills, two aces and one block. Yarimar Francis Garay also had six kills and two total blocks.
Georgia Southern received 14 kills from Reagan Barth and five blocks from Kayla Knowles. North Florida finished the match with three aces and five blocks.
North Florida Opens Atlantic Sun Conference Play Saturday
North Florida will open Atlantic Sun Conference play against Jacksonville at Swisher Gymnasium on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 6 p.m. ET. The match is part of the River City Rumble. It will be North Florida’s next match after the Eagle Invitational finale.
FSB Take
North Florida stayed within reach during the first and third sets, but Georgia Southern finished both frames and controlled the second set. McDonald provided North Florida’s top individual performance with a career-high-matching 13 kills and extended her run of double-digit kill totals to five consecutive matches. The focus now shifts to the Atlantic Sun Conference opener against Jacksonville.
Source: Original report