Gators Host Spring Matches Saturday at Florida Gym
Friday, April 10, 2009 | Volleyball
The University of Florida volleyball team will play host to three teams from the Sunshine State on Saturday on its lone home date of the 2009 spring season, when the Gators square off with Florida International, Florida State and Miami beginning at 10 a.m. EST in the Florida Gym.
Admission to Saturday's event is free and open to the public and features six one-hour matches in a double round-robin format. Each match is tentatively designed to feature two sets to 25 points and the third set to 15 points.
“Volleyball is one of the fortunate sports that gets to compete against outside competition in the spring,” Florida head coach Mary Wise said. “That's what we're doing this weekend when we play against Florida International – who returns the kill leader from last year's NCAA Tournament, a healthier FSU team and a Miami team that will compete for the ACC title. This gives us a chance to use some of the same lineups as we did last year, since we return so many players, in looking ahead to the fall.”
The Gators are 3-1 so far this spring, having swept Wisconsin in a pair of four-set matches, having defeated Troy 3-0 and having fallen to Penn State 0-2.
Florida International, the 2008 Sun Belt Conference regular-season champion, won a school record 28 games last season, advancing to the NCAA Tournament before falling to Colorado State in a first-round contest in Gainesville.
Florida State is coming off its most successful season in five years with a record of 21-9. The Seminoles finished fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference last season.
Miami recorded its best ACC record (14-6) in school history last season, posting a 26-6 overall record. The Hurricanes finished third in their conference and just missed an NCAA Tournament appearance.
Saturday's activities mark the final spring indoor competition for the Florida volleyball team, which will cap off its 2009 spring slate on Saturday, April 18 at the second-annual SEC Coaches Beach Volleyball Championships in Siesta Key, Fla.
The University of Florida is home of the 2009 NCAA Volleyball Regionals. For more information on Gator Volleyball, log on to www.GatorZone.com.
COMPETITION SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY, APRIL 11
Court 1 Court 2
10 a.m. UF vs. FIU FSU vs. Miami
11 a.m. UF vs. FSU FIU vs. Miami
12 p.m. UF vs. Miami FIU vs. FSU
2:30 p.m. UF vs. Miami FSU vs. FIU
3:30 p.m. UF vs. FIU Miami vs. FSU
4:30 p.m. UF vs. FSU Miami vs. FIU
END OF REPORT
