GAINESVILLE - Against Cincinnati on Thursday, Central Florida was down two games to none then mounted a three-game volleyball rally to advance into the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
But after Florida jumped out to an early two-game lead in the second round Friday, the Knights could muster no such comeback. The Gators won 3-0 (30-19, 30-26, 30-21) at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
Florida advances to the region rounds, set to begin Friday in Gainesville. The Gators play Dec. 13 against the Maryland-Colorado State winner.
"I think UCF had a great game plan and delivered defensively," Florida coach Mary Wise said.
Florida countered with a balanced attack that featured five players who recorded at least six kills and nine total points. The Gators were led by outside hitters Jane Collymore and Aury Cruz and middle blocker Sherri Williams. Collymore said that while it may be overlooked by some, the Gators' balance is critical to their success.
"People don't understand how important it is to make sure each position gets opportunities," Collymore said. "It is important for us to spread the ball around."
When Florida lost all-SEC middle blocker Benavia Jenkins to a knee injury on Oct. 26, the Gators' depth was tested. But UCF coach Meg Colado said Florida had the talent to make up for Jenkins' absence.
"They are not only six deep, but they have six on the bench," Colado said. "They have done a fantastic job after losing Benavia; they haven't skipped a beat and that says a lot about this program."
The Knights caused problems for Florida during the second game, taking a 14-11 lead. After a timeout the Gators went on a 6-1 run and never trailed again.
"We were hoping that we could pull that game out," Colado said. "(Florida) ended up making just a few less mistakes than we did."UNC, UConn in final
CARY, N.C. - North Carolina and Connecticut will meet in a women's soccer championship game for the fourth time after shutout semifinal wins.
UNC, seeking its 17th NCAA title, beat fourth-seeded UCLA 3-0 after unseeded UConn topped Florida State 2-0.
Kristen Graczyk scored twice off assists from Jessica Gjertsen to lead UConn (15-5-4) past FSU. Graczyk headed home a cross from Gjertsen in the 63rd minute to put the Huskies ahead. The goal came seconds after UConn's Karlyn Miselis cleared an FSU attempt off the goal line when goalie Erin Rice mishandled a corner kick.
"It was kind of like a fairy-tale goal," Rice said.
Graczyk scored her 20th goal of the season from near the penalty spot, catching goalie Joy McKenzie off balance.
The Seminoles (17-8-1), making their Final Four debut, outshot UConn 19-14.
"I still felt like it was a game of chances and we created some very good looks at goal," FSU coach Patrick Baker said.
UNC (26-0) got goals from Kendall Fletcher, Heather O'Reilly and a miscue by UCLA (20-2-3). The Tar Heels have outscored their five tournament opponents 26-0, a record.
The Tar Heels showed their power and speed early, breaking through in the 24th minute when Alyssa Ramsey's corner kick curved around goalie Arianna Criscione. Fletcher put the ball in with her thigh.
UNC made it 2-0 five minutes later when UCLA defender Kathryn Lee's pass to Criscione went past the goalie.
O'Reilly, a freshman who missed the World Cup because of a broken leg, scored her 11th goal in 11 games with four minutes left. The Huskies lost to North Carolina in the 1984, 1990 and 1997 title games.
- Information from Times wires was used in this report.
