The Florida soccer team plays host to South Alabama at 6 p.m. Friday in NCAA tournament first-round action at Donald R. Dizney Stadium. Florida (14-6) is a No. 3 region seed.
South Alabama is 14-5-1 and won the Sun Belt regular-season title with a 9-1 record.
“We are very excited about being at home, especially coming off the long trip of the SEC Tournament,” UF coach Becky Burleigh said. “It’s just really nice to be at home. The weather is supposed to be beautiful this weekend, we get to sleep in our own beds – there are just so many pluses to being at home.”
Tickets are $7 for adults and $3 for children (12 and under), students and senior citizens. The first 200 UF student showing at Gator1 card are admitted free. Ticket sales begin today at 8:30 a.m. at the Gator Ticket Office, located at gate 1 of the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Contact the UAA Ticket Office at (352) 375-4683, ext. 6800.
The tournament schedule for the next four weeks is 1-2-1-2. First round play will be this weekend. The second and third rounds are the next weekend (Nov. 17 and 19) at eight campus sites. NCAA Quarterfinal action will be Nov. 24 or 25 on four campus sites with the Women’s College Cup set for Dec. 1 and 3 at the Orlando City Stadium.
VOLLEYBALL
Snyder, Alhassan earn SEC weekly honors
Senior outside hitter Carli Snyder and three-time All-American middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan both collected Southeastern Conference weekly awards, the league office announced Monday.
Snyder earned SEC Player of the Week honors after a dynamic offensive weekend. The Macomb, Mich., native notched 15 kills and zero errors on 29 attempts, registering a .517 hitting percentage as the No. 4 Gators swept No. 6 Kentucky. It was just the fifth sweep of a top-10 team on the road this year. Snyder followed that standout performance with a double-double in a sweep of Tennessee. She tallied 12 kills and 13 digs, in addition to tying her career high for blocks (four).
Alhassan nabbed her third consecutive SEC Defensive Player of the Week accolade. The Glenarden, Md., native totaled 13 blocks, breaking Benavia Jenkins’ (2000-03) 14-year-old school record for career total blocks (602). Alhassan, who now boasts 607 career blocks, ranks second nationally in blocks per set (1.80) and is on pace to break Jenni Patterson’s 28-year-old school record for single-season blocks per set average (1.79).
Her defensive prowess enabled the Gators to hold Kentucky to its lowest hitting percentage of the year (.170). It also marked the third time this year Florida held a top-10 opponent at or below a .170 clip, a feat no Gators team has achieved in a season, according to statistical records dating back to 1997.
The No. 4 Gators (20-1, 12-1 SEC), who lead the SEC by a half-game, return home for matches with Arkansas (7 p.m. Friday) and Missouri (1 p.m. Sunday)
Second round flame out coming up