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Gabby O’Connell 6-0 OH R-Sr. Gainesville, Fla. / PK Yonge
wright at a glance
COACHING EXPERIENCE:
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Tri-City Christian ___________________ Head Coach
Sante Fe Christian __________________ Head Coach
PLAYING EXPERIENCE
University of San Diego ________________ 2002-06
COACHING HONORS
San Diego Breitbard Coaching Hall of Fame ___ 2016
Conference Coach of the Year Conference Coachof the Year Top 30 Coaches under Thirty Award _________ 2012
KRISTEN WRIGHT HEAD COACH & DIRECTOR OF VOLLEYBALL FOURTH SEASON (INDOOR) | SAN DIEGO ‘06
Kristen Wright is coming off her third indoor volleyball season as the head volleyball coach for the UNF Indoor Volleyball program after joining North Florida in December 2017. Wright also heads the UNF Beach Volleyball program and has finished three seasons leading the Ospreys on the sand.
Wright comes from MiraCosta College where she was the head coach of the junior college program. Wright touts a 106-58 career record leading the two indoor programs and was named to Volleyballmag.com’s Under 40 Coaching Hotshot List Jan. 6, 2020.
Spring 2021 Indoor Volleyball Notables
Helped lead the Ospreys to a 10-10 overall record and 8-4 mark in ASUN play ... Led UNF to its best winning percentage in conference play since joining the ASUN ... North Florida’s 10-10 finish was the Ospreys’ first finish of .500 or better since the 2016 campaign ... Downed Stetson, 3-0, in the ASUN Championship Quarterfinals to help North Florida to its first appearance in the ASUN Championship Semifinals since 2012 ... Coached the Ospreys past eventual ASUN-runner up FGCU on two occasions, winning 3-1 at home while sweeping them on the road ... Completed two wins against FGCU in the same season for the first time in program history ... Outside hitter Gabby O’Connell became the first ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year in program history ... Libero Rocio Moro was named ASUN Defensive Player of the Year, UNF’s first honoree since 2014 ... Saw setter Julianna Askew surpass 2,000-assists in less than two full seasons ... The Ospreys reached as high as 87th in the RPI rankings, a year after finishing 257th ... Swept a four-match series against Jacksonville, improving to 8-0 all-time against Jacksonville.
Despite the oddities and challenges presented by the Spring 2021 season, the third-year indoor head coach posted her best season yet, leading the Ospreys to a second-place finish in the ASUN South Division. North Florida went 8-4 in league play and 10-10 overall, playing seven top-100 teams, an ACC opponent and UCF on two occasions.
North Florida’s best season in ASUN play per winning percentage was highlighted by its meteoric rise in the RPI rankings. UNF ascended to as high as 87th in the RPI polls, while finishing the season 113th. It was a massive jump considering North Florida’s 257th finish in 2019 and 262nd mark at the end of the 2018 season.
UNF completed a number of firsts in Wright’s third year at the helm. For the first time in a storied-history against rival FGCU, UNF claimed two wins in the same season against the Eagles. The Ospreys overwhelmed FGCU, 3-1, February 14 before going down and completing their first road win against FGCU in a sweep March 6.
Despite being down 0-2 at Stetson February 25, UNF caught fire to turn in a reverse-sweep comeback win against the Hatters. It was North Florida’s first win against Stetson since 2017, and a win that keyed North Florida the rest of the season.
As for individual performers, UNF’s household names made their mark while newcomers added a huge lift, signaling a bright future. Graduate student outside hitter Gabby O’Connell put together one of the most well-rounded seasons in the ASUN and in the country, finishing over 3.00 digs/set and 3.00 kills/set in conference play. O’Connell was a second-team all-conference pick and the ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year, leading the league in kills in a season that saw her join Paige Pridgeon as the only Ospreys in UNF DI history to be in the 1,000-kill and 1,000-dig club.
Setter Julianna Askew joined in reaching new milestones, climbing to 2,063-career assists, good for fourth in UNF DI history. Classmate Rocio Moro put up 398 digs and 5.24 digs/set, both league bests, helping her earn ASUN Defensive Player of the Year honors and 1,031 digs for her tenure.
Wright and staff saw middle blocker Maddie Boyd blossom as a sophomore, while junior transfer Bre Walp accompanied Boyd with big numbers at the same position. The duo was one of the best blocking pairs in the league, with Walp posting 0.89 blocks/set and Boyd 0.82.
New additions Kailey McKnight and Logan O’Brien provided a glimpse of big things to come in the future. As freshmen they appeared in a combined 38 matches.McKnight collected 14 kills in her collegiate debut, the most by a UNF freshman in their debut since O’Connell in 2016. O’Brien registered 1.92 digs/set and 239 receptions as a key contributor at defensive specialist.
2019 Indoor Volleyball Notables:
Tied a program record with nine weekly all-conference honors ... Freshman Rocio Moro led all NCAA Division I freshman in digs (633) and classmate Julianna Askew paced all Division I rookies in assists (1,296) ... Senior Taryn Griffey became the first player in UNF DI history to reach 1,000 kills and 300 blocks, while also setting the DI era record for solo blocks (49) ... Defeated first place Kennesaw State, 3-1, to hand the Owls their first loss to UNF since 2013 ... Had three players selected as ASUN Postseason All-Conference honorees in Rocio Moro and Julianna Askew (ASUN All-Freshman) along with Solimar Cestero (Second Team All-ASUN) ... Finished fifth in the nation in kills with the third-most in program history ... Sophomore Solimar Cestero set the UNF rally scoring era for kills in a match with 30 during a 3-1 win at Bethune-Cookman ... Cestero led the league in kills (410), over 200 more than her mark from the previous season.
UNF clinched a berth in the ASUN Championship for the second time in as many seasons since Wright took over as the Ospreys went 15-18 and 7-9 in conference play.
Headlining the 2019 campaign was UNF’s 3-1 win against the eventual ASUN Champions, Kennesaw State, Oct. 27. The Ospreys dropped the first set before taking the final three. It was UNF’s first triumph against the Owls since 2013.
Sophomore Solimar Cestero led the Ospreys with 15 kills during the memorable win Oct. 27, but it wasn’t the only time she would pace North Florida offensively. The second-year player led the conference in kills with 410 in the regular season, helping UNF finish fifth in NCAA Division I in that category.
The Toa Baja, P.R., native shouldered the load for the better half of the season following redshirt-junior Gabby O’Connell’s season-ending injury in October. One of Cestero’s most notable days was her 30-kill explosion in a 3-1 road win against Bethune-Cookman Nov. 5. It was only the second time a UNF player has reached 30 kills and it was the most for a North Florida player in the rally scoring era.
Setter Julianna Askew was a big reason for the Ospreys’ offensive success. The rookie led the nation’s freshman in assists with 1,296, earning two ASUN Freshman of the Week awards and an ASUN All-Freshman team selection. The Wilmington, N.C., native tallied seven double-doubles, one triple-double, had the most kills among ASUN setters and even put up 70 assists against FIU Sept. 14.
Askew was joined by classmate Rocio Moro on the ASUN All-Freshman team, and for good reason. Moro was selected four times as ASUN Freshman of the Week, leading the nation’s rookies in digs with 633 and becoming the second UNF player in program history to average more than five digs-per-set.
Wright’s lone senior Taryn Griffey went out in style, posting 359 kills, 82 blocks and a .313 hitting percentage. Griffey became the first UNF DI player to have at least 1,000 kills and 300 blocks and also set the UNF DI record for solo blocks with 49.
The second-year coach at the DI level hit a personal milestone with a 3-1 win against North Alabama Oct. 18. With that win she claimed her 100th career victory as a head indoor coach between her time at MiraCosta College (CCCAA) and North Florida.
2018 Indoor Volleyball Notables:
Played teams from nine different conferences including Tennessee (No. 26) and Colorado (No. 15) ... Solimar Cestero was named to the ASUN All-Freshman Team and was a one-time honoree as ASUN Freshman of the Week ...
