On This Date in Florida VB History - Sept. 2
Wednesday, September 3, 2008 | Volleyball
September 2, 2000
Florida 3, Wisconsin 0
Gainesville, Fla. (O'Connell Center)
For the second consecutive year, the University of Florida volleyball team swept a tournament title away from Wisconsin as the ninth-ranked Gators put away the No. 16 Badgers 15-12, 16-14, 15-11 to capture the SunTrust Invitational crown in front of 3,023 at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center Saturday afternoon.
Behind the efforts of what Coach Mary Wise calls a "blue-collar work ethic," UF's defense made up for a struggling offense. "It might not have been pretty. But a 3-0 win against a team that will go far in the NCAA Tournament and make a run for the Big 10 title… They can never take that away from us."
Junior Niki Hartley (San Jose, Calif./St. Francis), an all-tournament team selection, dug a personal-best 24 balls and put down a team-high 10 kills. She was the only player with a double-double. Sophomore Nicole McCray (Longview, Texas/Pine Tree) was named the tournament MVP and had nine kills. The middle blocker also led all players with five roofs as the Gators out-blocked UW 11-5.
The Gators (3-2) opened the match by ripping off six unanswered points, but trailed all the way through Game 2 until McCray tied it at 14 with two kills. On the next play, setter Kris Bova (Milwaukee, Wis./Divine Savior) collided into another teammate and went down with a sprained left ankle. The junior, though, returned for the third frame and made all-tournament honors.
Wise expected that of Bova.
"Kris is the type of player you'd want with you when the chips are down. She's a fighter."
But, she and Bova both admitted initial fear. However, Wise acknowledged they probably weren't as scared as freshman Kelli Notestine (Valkaria, Fla./Melbourne Central Catholic), who replaced Bova. Notestine had only served as a defensive specialist in four matches to that point. But, she got the job done with a high set to the left side for the game-winning kill.
Wisconsin's starting setter was Lizzie Fitzgerald, sister of former Gator Meg Fitzgerald. The Badgers' assistant coach was Robert Pulliza, now the new head coach at Arkansas.
FLORIDA VOLLEYBALL ALL-TIME ON SEPT. 2 (7-3)
| Year | Opponent | Location | W/L | Game Scores |
| 2006 | vs. #10 UCLA | Honolulu, HI | L, 0-3 | 29-31, 28-30, 15-30 |
| 2005 | Dayton | Gainesville, FL | W, 3-0 | 30-25, 30-26, 30-16 |
| 2005 | Missouri State | Gainesville, FL | W, 3-0 | 30-20, 30-21, 30-23 |
| 2000 | #16 Wisconsin | Gainesville, FL | W, 3-0 | 15-12, 16-14, 15-11 |
| 1995 | Oklahoma | Gainesville, FL | W, 3-0 | 15-7, 15-13, 15-4 |
| 1995 | Purdue | Gainesville, FL | W, 3-0 | 15-5, 15-12, 15-5 |
| 1990 | Eastern Michigan | Gainesville, FL | L, 0-3 | 13-15, 5-15, 14-16 |
| 1989 | vs. SW Missouri State | Memphis, TN | W, 3-0 | 15-8, 15-10, 15-6 |
| 1989 | at Memphis | Memphis, TN | W, 3-1 | 15-7, 3-15, 15-4, 15-13 |
| 1988 | vs. Pacific | Lincoln, NE | L, 0-3 | 6-15, 8-15, 11-15 |
END OF REPORT
