Overflow crowd fires up UF volleyball

If there's anyone who appreciates more than 90,000 Florida fans filling The Swamp more than Urban Meyer, it's Mary Wise.

The Gator volleyball coach and the University of Florida have done their best over the years to siphon many of the football fans across the street to the O'Connell Center to watch Florida volleyball.

Take last weekend, for instance. Florida volleyball posted the second-highest attendance figure in the nation by averaging 2,874 fans during the Aquifina Invitational.

Wise is expecting the same kind of support this weekend when No. 8 Florida hosts the Campus USA Invitational.

"One of the benefits of being here at Florida is football and any opportunity that we have to play at home when football is at home, those have been some of our best-attended matches," Wise said. "I thought with Friday night's opening crowd and Saturday even after the football game is a long day for Gator fans, we had two great crowds. What a benefit that is for this young team to play in front of that hometown support."

Florida's young team, which features seven freshmen, benefited from the support with a 3-1 win over Alabama-Birmingham on Friday and a 3-0 win over Pacific on Saturday, a match that began just as The Swamp was emptying out following Florida's football win over Hawaii.

The two matches drew 5,747 fans. Only the Runza/AVCA Showcase at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb., drew more.

The crowd seemed to push Florida's many freshmen.

"It was a lot bigger than I'm used to," freshman outside hitter Colleen Ward said. "But I like the crowds because of the noise and the cheering."

Florida can expect crowds just as large, or larger, when it hosts Jacksonville tonight at 7 and No. 23 Long Beach State on Saturday at 5 p.m., three hours before Florida and Miami kick off across the street in The Swamp.

Fans with Florida-Miami football tickets get free admission to Saturday's match.