Clubs and teams gear up for a tough weekend

<p>This weekend, the University of Florida's Rec Sports teams have several firsts.<br/></p><p> It's the first home game of the season for the men's club soccer team.<br/></p><p> The women's volleyball team will host its first tournament in three years. UF's first club baseball team is playing at home - and away.<br/></p><p> And it's the first time in recent memory that anyone curious about judo can test their skills.<br/></p><p> Here are the details:</p><p><li>The University of Florida men's club soccer team will play its first home game of the season against the University of Central Florida on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Southwest Field. The team comes into the game with one win against the University of Central Florida (2-1) and one tie against Florida State University (2-2).<br/></p><p> "We expect a better performance this time around," said team president Josh Brandsdorfer. "We outplayed them most of the game the last time, and had a lot of opportunities to score, but couldn't."<br/></p><p> UF beat UCF in the fall 4-0.<br/></p><p><li>Women's volleyball play kicks off early Saturday at the Southwest Rec Center. This is the first tournament the women have hosted in three years. So far this season they have placed first in three tournaments: one at the University of Georgia, one at FSU and one at Georgia Southern University. This tournament features six teams - The UF club A and B teams, FSU, Florida International University, Embry Riddle University and Auburn University.<br/></p><p> "We are pretty confident we will do well," said third-year team member Amber Wallace. "We have played all these teams before and done well. We expect to come away with a win."<br/></p><p> Games begin at 9 a.m.<br/></p><p><li>Learn self-defense tactics with the UF club judo team on Sunday at the Florida Gym from 1 to 3 p.m. Judo is a martial art that involves controlling an attacker's force and using it against them, both standing up and on the ground.<br/></p><p> Club president Erik Berda said ground techniques are easier for beginners to learn because the techniques are safer.<br/></p><p> "In a fight situation, more than likely the attacker is going to try to get you on the ground," Berda said. "These techniques are also great for women to learn because they can teach them how to respond in a rape situation."<br/></p><p> The core club members will be out on Sunday to teach basic self-defense in ground fighting. The training is free for UF students.<br/></p><p><li>The men's club baseball team will be splitting its time this weekend. Half the team will travel to Miami to play three games against the University of Miami. The other half of the team will remain in Gainesville and host non-conference team Central Michigan. The team is 3-0 going into the weekend after sweeping FSU last weekend.<br/></p><p> "We feel confident against Central Michigan," said team president Brett Rowan. "But with half of the team in Miami, we'll use the home game to tune-up, recover from injuries and get some guys some playing time who didn't get to play last week against FSU."<br/></p>