Roundup: No. 9 UF volleyball sweeps Auburn

AUBURN, Ala. — Sophomore right-side setter Kelly Murphy turned in her 11th career triple-double and fifth this season with 11 kills on 16 swings with no errors for a .688 hitting efficiency, 19 assists and 12 digs to direct the No. 9 Florida volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-21) win against Auburn on Friday night.

The Gators (13-3, 7-2 Southeastern Conference) out-blocked Auburn 10.0-4.0 and out-dug the Tigers 43-36. Four UF players had three or more blocks apiece. The Gators also placed three players in double-figure kills, led by sophomore outside hitter Colleen Ward’s match-high 12 put-downs on .435 hitting for a match-high 12.5 points.

“I think blocking was a key stat in tonight’s match, but so too were our serving and passing,” Florida head coach Mary Wise said. “When you are siding out at such a high efficiency as we were, good things happen. I thought that both Cassandra and KJ were both terrific blocking tonight.”

Murphy ties Northeastern’s Jessica Tkachuk for the NCAA Division I lead in triple-doubles this season with five. Junior outside hitter/right-side Callie Rivers charted a season-high 10 kills on .643 hitting for 10.0 points. Over the past two matches, Rivers has combined for 19 total kills. Sophomore outside hitter Kristy Jaeckel chipped in seven kills.

Senior libero Elyse Cusack recorded a match-high 14 digs in the contest to increase her career total to 1,883, which ranks third all-time.

Auburn (11-8, 3-5 SEC) was led by Sarah Bullock’s 10 kills on .304 hitting and Johns’ nine kills on a .400 hitting efficiency.

SOCCER: No. 11 Florida 10-4-2, 4-1-2 SEC) tied Tennessee (7-5-3, 3-2-2 SEC) 2-2 in double overtime Friday night in Knoxville, Tenn.

The Gators scored first when freshman Holly King headed in a corner kick from Angela Napolitano. The keeper got a hand on the ball but it was King who was able to get her head on it to put it away at the middle of the goal.

A mis-clearance by the Gator backline led to the Lady Vols tying the match in the 35th minute. Chelsea Hatcher caused the problems clearing the ball and she took advantage of the loose ball to hit a 14-yard shot to the far post corner.

The Lady Vols scored early in the second half off a corner kick. Senior Mick Imgram served up the corner kick and Florida headed it out to the top of the box. The ball landed at the feet of Julie Edwards who hit her first goal of the season in the 51st minute.

Florida got the tying goal in the 86th minute when sophomore Tahnai Annis put away the pass from Erika Tymrak at the far post corner. The tying goal came off a split second push to get her foot on the ball.

WOMEN’S GOLF: The 8th-ranked UF women’s golf team finished the first round of the Mercedes-Benz Women’s Collegiate Championship in a tie for seventh place. The Gators carded a team score of 304 (+16) at the par-72, 6,317-yard Fox Den Country Club in Knoxville, Tenn.

Freshman Isabelle Lendl and junior Jessica Yadloczky led the Gators on Friday, both carding a two-over 74 to tie for 14th place. Lendl entered the turn at one-over after a bogey on four, and was able to sandwich two bogeys with two birdies before making a bogey on her final hole. After carding three bogeys on her first six holes, Yadloczky rallied back to notch nine consecutive pars before making a birdie on her 16th hole.