Rocio Moro | Row-C-oh Mar-oh

4 2022 NORTH FLORIDA VOLLEYBALL - @ospreyvb

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 ... Taryn Griffey was UNF’s representative as the ASUN Winner for Life ... Sophomore Devyn Wheeler tied the UNF single-match record for blocks with 11 in a 3-2 win against the defending Summit League champs, North Dakota ... Redshirt-sophomore Gabby O’Connell put up 13 double-doubles in her return from an injury suffered the year before. Kristen Wright’s first year in Jacksonville saw the Ospreys garner a spot in the ASUN Championship. UNF bowed out of postseason play after falling to No. 3 Lipscomb November 15, 3-1. Freshman Solimar Cestero had a big season under Wright, earning ASUN All-Freshman Team honors and the ASUN Freshman Player of the Week honor for September 10. Cestero tallied 197 kills, good for third on the team. Junior Taryn Griffey was an integral part of the North Florida volleyball team in 2018 and earned a spot on the Fall Winners for Life team. The middle blocker posted career-highs in kills (17) against Oral Roberts, while also posting a new career-high with 10 blocks against New Mexico later in the season. The Wildwood, Mo., native garnered three all-tournament selections and finished the season with career highs in kills (317) and blocks (105). Madilyn McCarty surpassed 3,000 assists for her Division I career and finished sixth in UNF history in assists (2,291). She posted 1,050 assists throughout the campaign, earning all-tournament honors at the Owls Classic. Sophomore Devyn Wheeler put up one the best performances in a five-set match in program history as UNF took down a strong North Dakota squad, 3-2. Wheeler put up a 21-kill, 11-block double-double to give her the second-highest block total for a five-set match in program history. Wright’s first season also saw the return of one of the most diverse Ospreys to don the Navy and Gray. Redshirt-sophomore Gabby O’Connell finished with 320 kills and 325 digs as an outside, putting up 13 doubledoubles. She would go on to tryout for the U.S. Women’s National Team at the Olympic Training Facility in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Ospreys took on a challenging non-conference schedule to open up the season, traveling to Wyoming, Knoxville, Tenn., and Boca Raton, Fla., for tournament play. UNF would play teams from the Mountain West, Summit League, Pac-12, SEC, Missouri Valley, Big South, SoCon and Conference - USA among others. UNF took a set from Tennessee who would finish with a 26 RPI, facing Colorado as the Buffaloes brought in a No. 15 ranking.

Prior to UNF:

Wright came to the Ospreys following a four-year stint leading the indoor and beach volleyball programs at MiraCosta College in Oceanside, Calif (2014-17). She started both programs and led the Spartans to five conference championships and a state title in beach volleyball. Joining MiraCosta in January of 2014, Wright quickly built a strong program with the indoor squad posting an 80-28 (74.1 win percentage) record. Under her tutelage, the Spartans produced one All-American, two all-state, three all-region, two conference players and a beach duo of the year award winners. She also collected a pair of conference coach of the year awards. Wright was named an AVCA Top 30 Coaches under Thirty Award winner in 2012. Owning over a decade of head coaching experience, Wright was a championship winning coach in the high school ranks before going to MiraCosta. She led Tri-City Christian to eight consecutive CIF San Diego Section Championships, five So-Cal Regional Championships and a California State Championship runner-up finish. At Santa Fe Christian, she guided the team to a California State Championship, SoCal Regional Championship and league championship. In 13 years as a head coach, Wright’s teams have won a championship in 12, earning multiple titles in several seasons. Her prep pupils collected two all-American and seven player of the year laurels. Additionally, she was inducted into the San Diego Breitbard Coaching Hall of Fame in 2016. Along with a successful coaching career, Wright was a four-year starter at the University of San Diego. She earned AVCA All-American and All-Region honors while also garnering three WCC All-Conference accolades during her career with the Toreros. Wright earned her bachelor’s degree in history from San Diego in 2006 and completed her master’s degree from Azusa Pacifiic in June of 2018. She is married to Doug Wright, and the couple are the parents of children, Bradyn and Kylee.