Gators Fight, Fall in Four Sets to No. 4 Minnesota
Three players finished with double-digit kills: Marina Markova, Sofia Victoria and Merritt Beason
MINNEAPOLIS – The 13th-ranked Florida Gators dropped a tightly-contested four setter to the fourth-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers on Sunday afternoon in Maturi Pavilion.
Minnesota took the tight 25-22 battle in the first set, but Florida answered with a decisive 25-17 victory in the second set. The Golden Gophers took the third frame in another hard-fought 25-22 contest, then closed out the match with a 25-16 victory in the fourth.
Florida was led on the offensive attack by Marina Markova, who posted 15 kills and a .444 clip on the afternoon. Merritt Beason and Sofia Victoria tallied 11 kills apiece in the match.
Alexis Stucky captained the Florida offense, dishing out 33 assists in the four-setter.
As a team, the Gators held Minnesota to a .205 clip on the afternoon, registering 14.0 blocks at the net. Bre Kelley posted a team-high seven blocks at the net, followed by a career-high six from Stucky. Gabrielle Essix and Beason each tallied four blocks apiece in the match.
Florida’s backcourt defense was led by two 12-dig efforts from Elli McKissock and Stucky. Beason was just one dig off a double-double, finishing the match with nine.
UF totaled five aces from behind the service line, led by four from Trinity Adams. That mark tied her career-high set a season ago.
The Gators return to action on Sept. 9/10 for the Sunshine Invitational, taking place at Exatech Arena. Florida welcomes Georgia Southern, FGCU and VCU for the two-day tournament.
Records
No. 13 Florida (3-2)
No. 4 Minnesota (2-2)
How It Happened
* The Golden Gophers got off to the quick start to begin the match, using a 5-0 service run to take the 7-2 advantage. The Gators utilized their first timeout of the set to halt the run, coming out of the break with a 5-0 run of their own to knot the frame at 7-7. The two teams continued to battle through the middle of the set, with neither team holding more than a two-point lead. The momentum swung the Gators’ way with the set tied at 15-all, with UF then forcing a Minnesota timeout after taking the 17-15 lead. Out of that timeout, the Golden Gophers went on a 6-4 spurt to take the two-point advantage at 21-19. Florida pulled back to within one at 23-22, but Minnesota closed the frame on a 2-0 run to take the first set.
* Both teams hit below .200 in the first set, with the Gators registering a .167 clip to Minnesota’s .120. Markova led the way with five kills, while Victoria and Beason tallied four and three, respectively.
* Florida held the early advantage in the second set, going on a 6-1 run to force a Minnesota timeout at the 9-5 mark. Trinity Adams continued her strong showing behind the service line, recording three-straight aces to put the Gators up 14-5. With Florida up 10 points at the 16-6 mark, the Golden Gophers chipped away to cut the deficit to six to force a UF timeout. Six points would be the closest Minnesota would get the rest of the way, as Florida cruised to a 25-17 victory to even the match.
* The Gators hit .321 in the second set, while holding Minnesota to a .065 clip. Beason and Markova each registered four kills in the frame.
* Minnesota took an early 7-3 lead in the third set, but after a Florida timeout, Beason led the Gators on a 5-0 service run to give UF the lead at 8-7. The frame continued to be a tight contest from that point on, until Minnesota was able to grab the four-point advantage at 20-16 to force UF’s second timeout of the set. The Gators pulled to within two at 24-22, but Minnesota closed it out at 25-22 to secure the 2-1 lead in the match.
* Florida hit .267 in the third set, led by five kills from Markova and three from Victoria.
* After a 5-1 UF lead to start the fourth, Florida and Minnesota went back-and-forth in the set. With the score knotted at 10-10, Minnesota went on an 8-2 run to gain the 18-12 advantage. The Gators chipped away at the lead, but could not get closer than five, with the Golden Gophers winning 25-16.
* Beason and Victoria each recorded three kills in the final frame.
Notables
* Trinity Adams tied her career-high in service aces with four
* Emily Canaan tied her career-best in digs with dix
* Alexis Stucky recorded the first double-double of her career, tallying 33 assists and 12 digs
* The 12 digs were a career-high for the freshman
* Stucky also registered six blocks in the match, setting a new career-best mark
* The Gators are now 2-6 in the all-time series against the Golden Gophers
* UF drops to 1-3 in four-set matches against Minnesota
Up Next
* The Gators return home for the Sunshine Invitational on Sept. 9 and 10
* Georgia Southern, Florida Gulf Coast and VCU will be making the trip to Exactech Arena
* Florida kicks off the tournament on Friday, Sept. 9 at 10 a.m. against Georgia Southern
* All of UF’s matches will be streamed on SEC Network +
TICKET INFO | Gator Ticket Office Online<http://floridagators.com/sports/2015/12/10/_tickets_volleyball_.aspx> | Call: 352-375-4683 x6800 (Open M-F, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.)
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* General Admission (All other lower bowl areas) – $50 [ages 13 and up]
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Gator Soccer Loses to No. 10 FSU
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Florida lost 5-0 to defending NCAA champion and No. 10 Florida State in front of 1,255 Sunday at the Donald R. Dizney Stadium - a venue record for soccer.
Dark skies welcomed the teams as they arrived Sunday for the Sunshine Showdown presented by Fresh from Florida. The weather moved along but not before delaying the start of the match for 20 minutes.
Sunday's scoring:
The Seminoles started the scoring early in the opening half.
FSU freshman Olivia Garcia sent the ball across the top of the box for senior Jenna Nighswonger. Her left-footed shot scored from 18 yards at 15:49.
The Seminoles scored quickly to start the second half. Jody Brown drove to the edge of the box before sending the ball to the middle. Garcia met the ball with a swipe of her right foot to score from eight yards in the 48th minute.
Nighswonger brought the ball down the right side after intercepting a pass near midfield. Her leading pass into the box found Jody Brown in stride, who scored in the 57th minute with a right-footed shot to the far corner.
The Seminoles' fourth goal came off a Gator clearance attempt by freshman Njeri Butts. The ball slipped off her foot, scoring at the near post corner in the 68th minute.
Sunday's scoring ended in the 87th minute when Emma Bissell's cross the far post was headed down by Beata Olsson. The ball bounced ahead of the goal line and hit the inside of the crossbar to deflect in.
Records:
Florida: 2-4-0, 0-0-0 SEC
FSU: 2-0-2, 0-0-0 ACC
Series Record:
Florida State leads 15-13
What the Gators Said:
On tonight's match:
"It wasn't our night as no matter what formation or what tactic we had, Florida State executed better. I'm bummed with the final score but at the end of the day we have to take what we can from this, move forward and look to ECU.
"Our focus really is on continuing to grow and develop as a program. I don't know if you could tell but we had several players out today, which is probably a record number of available players that I've had I think in my coaching career. So we did the best we could with what we had.
"We need to get healthy, first and foremost, and just kind of regroup a little bit. We don't have another game until Sunday so the timing couldn't be better because we're pretty banged up right now." Florida Head Coach Samantha Bohon
Next Up:
Florida closes non-conference action Sunday at East Carolina (3-2-1). The Pirates tied Virginia Commonwealth 0-0 Sunday in Richmond, Va.
Sunday, Sept. 11 at East Carolina (3-2-1, 0-0 AAC)
Time/Site: 1 p.m. ET at Johnson Stadium
Stream: ESPN +
Radio: ESPN 98.1 FM / 850 AM with action called by Nevada Cullen
Tickets: Free
FSU (2-0-2, 0-0 ACC) at Florida (2-4-0, SEC 0-0-0)
Stadium: Donald R. Dizney Stadium (1255)
Weather: 84 degrees, winds NE 5 mph
Goals by Period
1
2
Total
FSU
1
4
5
Florida
0
0
0
Scoring Summary:
No.
Time
Team
Goal Scorer
Assist
1.
15:49
FSU
Jenna Nighswonger
Olivia Garcia
2.
47:53
FSU
Olivia Garcia
Jody Brown
3.
56:15
FSU
Jody Brown
Jenna Nighswonger
4.
67:10
FSU
Own Goal
5.
FSU
Beata Olsson
Emma Bissell
Shots: FSU 19, Florida 3
Saves: FSU 2 (Mia Justus 2), Florida 3 (Alexa Goldberg 3)
Offsides: FSU 0, UF 1
Cautions: Anna DeLeon-UF 87:05 (yellow)
Debove, Gators Start Season Opener Strong
Quentin Debove is tied for the individual lead as Florida owns a two stroke advantage heading into the final round tomorrow
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The Florida men's golf team got off to a hot start in the season opener with a 17-under par performance to lead heading into the final round of the Fighting Irish Classic on Sunday.
Quentin Debove led the lineup with a career-low round of 65 (-5) to start the season and followed with a 68 (-2) in round two to be tied for the individual lead at 7-under. The junior cut three strokes from his previous best of 68 he set at the VyStar Gators Invitational last season. He ranks second among the field with 10 birdies.
The Gators shot a 270 (-10) in round one to take the team lead, which was tied for the second lowest team score on the day, only behind North Carolina's 266 (-14) in round two. Florida has combined for a tournament-leading 40 birdies and heads into the final 18 holes tomorrow owning a two stroke advantage over the Tar Heels.
Florida's lineup only featured one round over par - 72 (+2) - as all five went low in round two. Competing as individuals, Matthew Kress (-2) and Tyler Wilkes (-4) both shot under-par rounds to sit T5 and T22. The outing marked Kress' collegiate debut as the duo sits atop the individuals competing by five strokes.
Last year's SEC Champion, John DuBois (-5), fired a 67 and 68 to reside T3. The senior started his season with four birdies in his first six holes. A stroke behind him is Fred Biondi in T5 who carded a pair of 68s to end -4.
Rounding out the lineup is Ricky Castillo (T27) and Yuxin Lin (T39) who both bounced back in round two with 1-under performances.
The Gators tee off the final round of the season opener at 9:30 a.m. ET at the Warren Golf Course.
College Football is Back!
What a weekend! I can’t imagine what LSU fans are feeling this morning.
Florida State is putting the nail in the coffin near the LSU goal line, pitches the ball and fumbles. LSU drives 99 yards and, with one second left in the game, scores a TD only to have the EX blocked. On the night – LSU fumbles two punts and has a FG block and the game-tying extra point – OUCH.
What would it be if you had to pick one thing that surprised you about this opening weekend?
US OPEN UPDATE:
Nick Kyrgios defeats Daniil Medvedev and secures his first career berth in US Open quarterfinals – not sure how many of you watch Tennis, BUT this Kyrgios dude is nuts!! Worth the price of admission for sure.
FIGHT NIGHT!!
Wow!! C. Gane looked sharp vs. T. Tuivasa, and he faced some adversity as Tuivasa floored him at one point in this fight, but he picked the Aussie apart and brutally knocked him out. I am not sure if Ngannou can handle Gane in a rematch, but I want to see it.
Whittaker honestly made Marvin Vettori look like a child, and Vettori is dangerous! Nowhere for Whittaker to go? Is Israel supposed to fight Whittaker a third time? Nope.
Around MLB:
NY Yankees up five on the Rays
Cleveland and the Twins are tied, and the White Sox are two games back
Astros up ten on the Mariners
New York Mets up one game on the Braves
Cards up 8.5 on the Brew Crew
Dodgers up 19 on the Padres
Three players finished with double-digit kills: Marina Markova, Sofia Victoria and Merritt Beason
MINNEAPOLIS – The 13th-ranked Florida Gators dropped a tightly-contested four setter to the fourth-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers on Sunday afternoon in Maturi Pavilion.
Minnesota took the tight 25-22 battle in the first set, but Florida answered with a decisive 25-17 victory in the second set. The Golden Gophers took the third frame in another hard-fought 25-22 contest, then closed out the match with a 25-16 victory in the fourth.
Florida was led on the offensive attack by Marina Markova, who posted 15 kills and a .444 clip on the afternoon. Merritt Beason and Sofia Victoria tallied 11 kills apiece in the match.
Alexis Stucky captained the Florida offense, dishing out 33 assists in the four-setter.
As a team, the Gators held Minnesota to a .205 clip on the afternoon, registering 14.0 blocks at the net. Bre Kelley posted a team-high seven blocks at the net, followed by a career-high six from Stucky. Gabrielle Essix and Beason each tallied four blocks apiece in the match.
Florida’s backcourt defense was led by two 12-dig efforts from Elli McKissock and Stucky. Beason was just one dig off a double-double, finishing the match with nine.
UF totaled five aces from behind the service line, led by four from Trinity Adams. That mark tied her career-high set a season ago.
The Gators return to action on Sept. 9/10 for the Sunshine Invitational, taking place at Exatech Arena. Florida welcomes Georgia Southern, FGCU and VCU for the two-day tournament.
Records
No. 13 Florida (3-2)
No. 4 Minnesota (2-2)
How It Happened
* The Golden Gophers got off to the quick start to begin the match, using a 5-0 service run to take the 7-2 advantage. The Gators utilized their first timeout of the set to halt the run, coming out of the break with a 5-0 run of their own to knot the frame at 7-7. The two teams continued to battle through the middle of the set, with neither team holding more than a two-point lead. The momentum swung the Gators’ way with the set tied at 15-all, with UF then forcing a Minnesota timeout after taking the 17-15 lead. Out of that timeout, the Golden Gophers went on a 6-4 spurt to take the two-point advantage at 21-19. Florida pulled back to within one at 23-22, but Minnesota closed the frame on a 2-0 run to take the first set.
* Both teams hit below .200 in the first set, with the Gators registering a .167 clip to Minnesota’s .120. Markova led the way with five kills, while Victoria and Beason tallied four and three, respectively.
* Florida held the early advantage in the second set, going on a 6-1 run to force a Minnesota timeout at the 9-5 mark. Trinity Adams continued her strong showing behind the service line, recording three-straight aces to put the Gators up 14-5. With Florida up 10 points at the 16-6 mark, the Golden Gophers chipped away to cut the deficit to six to force a UF timeout. Six points would be the closest Minnesota would get the rest of the way, as Florida cruised to a 25-17 victory to even the match.
* The Gators hit .321 in the second set, while holding Minnesota to a .065 clip. Beason and Markova each registered four kills in the frame.
* Minnesota took an early 7-3 lead in the third set, but after a Florida timeout, Beason led the Gators on a 5-0 service run to give UF the lead at 8-7. The frame continued to be a tight contest from that point on, until Minnesota was able to grab the four-point advantage at 20-16 to force UF’s second timeout of the set. The Gators pulled to within two at 24-22, but Minnesota closed it out at 25-22 to secure the 2-1 lead in the match.
* Florida hit .267 in the third set, led by five kills from Markova and three from Victoria.
* After a 5-1 UF lead to start the fourth, Florida and Minnesota went back-and-forth in the set. With the score knotted at 10-10, Minnesota went on an 8-2 run to gain the 18-12 advantage. The Gators chipped away at the lead, but could not get closer than five, with the Golden Gophers winning 25-16.
* Beason and Victoria each recorded three kills in the final frame.
Notables
* Trinity Adams tied her career-high in service aces with four
* Emily Canaan tied her career-best in digs with dix
* Alexis Stucky recorded the first double-double of her career, tallying 33 assists and 12 digs
* The 12 digs were a career-high for the freshman
* Stucky also registered six blocks in the match, setting a new career-best mark
* The Gators are now 2-6 in the all-time series against the Golden Gophers
* UF drops to 1-3 in four-set matches against Minnesota
Up Next
* The Gators return home for the Sunshine Invitational on Sept. 9 and 10
* Georgia Southern, Florida Gulf Coast and VCU will be making the trip to Exactech Arena
* Florida kicks off the tournament on Friday, Sept. 9 at 10 a.m. against Georgia Southern
* All of UF’s matches will be streamed on SEC Network +
TICKET INFO | Gator Ticket Office Online<http://floridagators.com/sports/2015/12/10/_tickets_volleyball_.aspx> | Call: 352-375-4683 x6800 (Open M-F, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.)
Season Ticket Prices:
* Reserved (Sections 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15) – $75 [ages 13 & up]
* Kids Reserved (Sections 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15) - $35 [ages 12 & under]
* General Admission (All other lower bowl areas) – $50 [ages 13 and up]
* Kids General Admission (All other lower bowl areas) – $25 [ages 12 & under]
* Courtside Season Pass (subject to availability) – $150 [all ages]
* Loge Seating (subject to availability) [in front of the Sideline Club] – $100 [all ages]
Gator Soccer Loses to No. 10 FSU
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Florida lost 5-0 to defending NCAA champion and No. 10 Florida State in front of 1,255 Sunday at the Donald R. Dizney Stadium - a venue record for soccer.
Dark skies welcomed the teams as they arrived Sunday for the Sunshine Showdown presented by Fresh from Florida. The weather moved along but not before delaying the start of the match for 20 minutes.
Sunday's scoring:
The Seminoles started the scoring early in the opening half.
FSU freshman Olivia Garcia sent the ball across the top of the box for senior Jenna Nighswonger. Her left-footed shot scored from 18 yards at 15:49.
The Seminoles scored quickly to start the second half. Jody Brown drove to the edge of the box before sending the ball to the middle. Garcia met the ball with a swipe of her right foot to score from eight yards in the 48th minute.
Nighswonger brought the ball down the right side after intercepting a pass near midfield. Her leading pass into the box found Jody Brown in stride, who scored in the 57th minute with a right-footed shot to the far corner.
The Seminoles' fourth goal came off a Gator clearance attempt by freshman Njeri Butts. The ball slipped off her foot, scoring at the near post corner in the 68th minute.
Sunday's scoring ended in the 87th minute when Emma Bissell's cross the far post was headed down by Beata Olsson. The ball bounced ahead of the goal line and hit the inside of the crossbar to deflect in.
Records:
Florida: 2-4-0, 0-0-0 SEC
FSU: 2-0-2, 0-0-0 ACC
Series Record:
Florida State leads 15-13
What the Gators Said:
On tonight's match:
"It wasn't our night as no matter what formation or what tactic we had, Florida State executed better. I'm bummed with the final score but at the end of the day we have to take what we can from this, move forward and look to ECU.
"Our focus really is on continuing to grow and develop as a program. I don't know if you could tell but we had several players out today, which is probably a record number of available players that I've had I think in my coaching career. So we did the best we could with what we had.
"We need to get healthy, first and foremost, and just kind of regroup a little bit. We don't have another game until Sunday so the timing couldn't be better because we're pretty banged up right now." Florida Head Coach Samantha Bohon
Next Up:
Florida closes non-conference action Sunday at East Carolina (3-2-1). The Pirates tied Virginia Commonwealth 0-0 Sunday in Richmond, Va.
Sunday, Sept. 11 at East Carolina (3-2-1, 0-0 AAC)
Time/Site: 1 p.m. ET at Johnson Stadium
Stream: ESPN +
Radio: ESPN 98.1 FM / 850 AM with action called by Nevada Cullen
Tickets: Free
FSU (2-0-2, 0-0 ACC) at Florida (2-4-0, SEC 0-0-0)
Stadium: Donald R. Dizney Stadium (1255)
Weather: 84 degrees, winds NE 5 mph
Goals by Period
1
2
Total
FSU
1
4
5
Florida
0
0
0
Scoring Summary:
No.
Time
Team
Goal Scorer
Assist
1.
15:49
FSU
Jenna Nighswonger
Olivia Garcia
2.
47:53
FSU
Olivia Garcia
Jody Brown
3.
56:15
FSU
Jody Brown
Jenna Nighswonger
4.
67:10
FSU
Own Goal
5.
FSU
Beata Olsson
Emma Bissell
Shots: FSU 19, Florida 3
Saves: FSU 2 (Mia Justus 2), Florida 3 (Alexa Goldberg 3)
Offsides: FSU 0, UF 1
Cautions: Anna DeLeon-UF 87:05 (yellow)
Debove, Gators Start Season Opener Strong
Quentin Debove is tied for the individual lead as Florida owns a two stroke advantage heading into the final round tomorrow
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The Florida men's golf team got off to a hot start in the season opener with a 17-under par performance to lead heading into the final round of the Fighting Irish Classic on Sunday.
Quentin Debove led the lineup with a career-low round of 65 (-5) to start the season and followed with a 68 (-2) in round two to be tied for the individual lead at 7-under. The junior cut three strokes from his previous best of 68 he set at the VyStar Gators Invitational last season. He ranks second among the field with 10 birdies.
The Gators shot a 270 (-10) in round one to take the team lead, which was tied for the second lowest team score on the day, only behind North Carolina's 266 (-14) in round two. Florida has combined for a tournament-leading 40 birdies and heads into the final 18 holes tomorrow owning a two stroke advantage over the Tar Heels.
Florida's lineup only featured one round over par - 72 (+2) - as all five went low in round two. Competing as individuals, Matthew Kress (-2) and Tyler Wilkes (-4) both shot under-par rounds to sit T5 and T22. The outing marked Kress' collegiate debut as the duo sits atop the individuals competing by five strokes.
Last year's SEC Champion, John DuBois (-5), fired a 67 and 68 to reside T3. The senior started his season with four birdies in his first six holes. A stroke behind him is Fred Biondi in T5 who carded a pair of 68s to end -4.
Rounding out the lineup is Ricky Castillo (T27) and Yuxin Lin (T39) who both bounced back in round two with 1-under performances.
The Gators tee off the final round of the season opener at 9:30 a.m. ET at the Warren Golf Course.
College Football is Back!
What a weekend! I can’t imagine what LSU fans are feeling this morning.
Florida State is putting the nail in the coffin near the LSU goal line, pitches the ball and fumbles. LSU drives 99 yards and, with one second left in the game, scores a TD only to have the EX blocked. On the night – LSU fumbles two punts and has a FG block and the game-tying extra point – OUCH.
What would it be if you had to pick one thing that surprised you about this opening weekend?
US OPEN UPDATE:
Nick Kyrgios defeats Daniil Medvedev and secures his first career berth in US Open quarterfinals – not sure how many of you watch Tennis, BUT this Kyrgios dude is nuts!! Worth the price of admission for sure.
FIGHT NIGHT!!
Wow!! C. Gane looked sharp vs. T. Tuivasa, and he faced some adversity as Tuivasa floored him at one point in this fight, but he picked the Aussie apart and brutally knocked him out. I am not sure if Ngannou can handle Gane in a rematch, but I want to see it.
Whittaker honestly made Marvin Vettori look like a child, and Vettori is dangerous! Nowhere for Whittaker to go? Is Israel supposed to fight Whittaker a third time? Nope.
Around MLB:
NY Yankees up five on the Rays
Cleveland and the Twins are tied, and the White Sox are two games back
Astros up ten on the Mariners
New York Mets up one game on the Braves
Cards up 8.5 on the Brew Crew
Dodgers up 19 on the Padres
