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FLORIDA

Women's soccer

No. 12 Florida Soccer and Nebraska Tie 1-1 2OT

LINCOLN, Neb. - The No. 12 University of Florida soccer team (4-2-2, 0-0

SEC) and Nebraska (3-2-3, 0-0 Big 12) tied 1-1 2OT on a windy Sunday afternoon in front of a Nebraska Soccer Field crowd of 465.

Sunday's match was the first overtime contest of the season for the Gators. Friday's match with Florida Atlantic did end in a scoreless tie, but the coaches agreed at the end of regulation to end the match due to unplayable field conditions.

"I think this tie has a lot different feel than the one Friday night. We battled adversity a little bit and I thought our team came out playing hard and really took it to Nebraska," Burleigh said. "Difficult pitch, difficult wind but that was something that we got used. We responded much better than we did versus Illinois. We just won more 50-50 ball and put the pressure on them more."

The Huskers scored 41 seconds into the second half, as Selenia Iacchelli hit a 35-yard free kick from above the Gator box that went through the hands of UF goalkeeper Katie Fraine. Florida picked up its play, attacking the NU goal in the second half. On their third shot of the half, the Gators were able to tie up the match. The Gators were awarded a free kick 40 yards above the NU box. Lauren Hyde's free kick found Stacy Bishop, who headed the ball untouched into the goal from 10 yards at 64:09. It was Bishop's first goal of the season.

The Gators looked like they were going to score in the 96th minute when Ashley Harris ran down the ball in the box. The momentum of her two defenders sent them forward for just a fraction of a second while she was able to get a foot on the ball and send it toward the goal. Just before it crossed the line, NU sophomore Carly Peetz was able to make a sliding save to stop the Gator goal. Harris was also involved in a near scoring opportunity in the second overtime. She was able to cross the ball deep in the NU box but it was just out of reach for Jessica Eicken who was making a far post run in the 104th minute. In the 107th minute, Bishop looked for her second score of the day, but her 16-yard shot was just above the crossbar.

"We had all sorts of good chances and in this particular game we were probably a little unfortunate," Burleigh said. "I think we created a lot more chances than we did Friday night (versus FAU). I felt pleased with the way we played and disappointed with the result." All-American Melanie Booth, who rejoined the Gator team Saturday in Nebraska after Canada completed World Cup play in China on Thursday, made her first appearance for Florida since the conclusion of the 2005 season when she subbed in to play left back in the 21st minute. Booth sat out the 2006 collegiate season due to Canadian National Team commitments. She did make her presence known quickly, as the Cornhuskers were heading toward the Gator goal in the 25th minute. Just when it looked like Aysha Jamani was going to take a clear shot at the goal from just inside the 18-yard box, Booth made a slide tackle to clear the ball. Another Gator made her return to the lineup Sunday, as junior All-American Ameera Abdullah made her first appearance since getting injured Sept. 7 versus USF.

"She's (Booth) not a 100% at this point (due to travel fatigue), but to get a few minutes out of her was awesome," Burleigh said. "It was also great to get Ameera (Abdullah) in the game.

The opening matches of the 2007 Southeastern Conference season are set to begin next weekend. Florida opens league play at Georgia (7-1, 0-0 SEC) on Friday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. (ET). The action for that match can be heard live on www.GatorZone.com and GatorVision subscribers can view the UF-UGA match when play begins at 7 p.m.

Volleyball

No. 6 VB Defeats No. 22 LSU, 3-1, Behind Hampton's Double-Double

BATON ROUGE, La. - Senior outside hitter Marcie Hampton (Gainesville, Fla.) recorded 20 kills and 10 digs to lead the sixth-ranked University of Florida volleyball team to a 3-1 (30-25, 30-24, 27-30, 30-24) win over No. 22 LSU on Sunday. The double-double was Hampton's six of the season, and the 33rd of her career.

The victory was the Gators' ninth-straight in Baton Rouge, and their 22nd in a row over LSU. Florida (11-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) have now won 11-straight matches to open the season, marking the third-best start in school history. "This was the definition of a hard-fought win," Florida head coach Mary Wise said. "We earned everything we got today, and I'm extremely proud of our players."

Senior middle blocker Kisya Killingsworth (Deltona) added 14 kills on the day to become just the 15th player in school history to reach the 1,000-career kill mark. Sophomore libero/defensive specialist Elyse Cusack (Melrose, Fla.) tallied a season-high 27 digs digs, marking the 11th match of her career with at least 20, while freshman outside hitter Callie Rivers (Winter Park, Fla.) posted a career-best 10 digs to go along with nine kills.

Senior opposite hitter Amber McCray (Longview, Texas) got the Gators rolling game one, killing two balls and teaming with junior middle blocker Kelsey Bowers (Gainesville, Fla.) on a block to help open up a 3-0 lead. McCray's third kill of the afternoon increased the margin to 6-2, but LSU fought back to take an 11-10 lead before a service ace by senior outside hitter Marcie Hampton (Gainesville) and a pair of McCray kills sparked a 5-1 run that sent UF into the media timeout with a 15-12 edge. Florida scored two quick points after the stoppage, one on a McCray kill, to take a 17-12 lead, but LSU once again came back to grab the lead, 20-19. Killingsworth immediately tied the frame at 20-20 with the 1,000th kill of her career, and the Gators battled back to take a 24-22 lead, forcing LSU to call its first timeout of the match. UF took two of the first three points after the timeout, opening up a 26-23 cushion, and double blocks by the combos of Killingsworth and freshman outside hitter Callie Rivers (Winter Park, Fla.) and Killingsworth and senior setter Angie McGinnis (Fraser, Mich.) extended the lead to 28-24 and prompted another LSU timeout. A kill by Rivers forced game point at 29-25, and a Tiger attack error wrapped up the opening game for Florida on the next rally. McCray led the Gators with eight kills in the frame, matching the single-game high for a UF player this season.

UF found itself down 5-2 early in the second game, but kills by Killingsworth and Hampton brought the Gators back within one, 5-4. LSU responded with a 3-0 run to take an 8-4 lead, but the Orange and Blue roared back to take a 10-9 lead on a Bowers solo block, and McCray followed with a solo rejection of her own to make the score 11-9 and force an LSU timeout. The Tigers scored four-straight points after the pause, causing Wise to ask for a timeout with the score 13-11 in favor of the hosts. UF came back yet again behind kills from Hampton, Rivers and McCray, tying the score at 14-14 and taking a 15-14 advantage on the next rally courtesy of an LSU attack error. Another Rivers kill sparked UF to a 19-16 lead, and Hampton registered back-to-back kills to spur the Gators to a 21-17 edge, its largest of the game to that point, and force another LSU timeout. Bowers and McGinnis teamed up for a double block on the first exchange after the stoppage, and Hampton again recorded consecutive kills to widen the margin. Florida's lead reached seven on four occasions down the stretch, and Killingsworth sealed the game-two win, 30-24, with her eighth kill of the afternoon. Hampton led all players with seven kills in game, and Cusack chipped in with 10 digs in the frame.

Bowers and McCray both tallied kills in the early-going of game three, sandwiching them around their own double block, to help UF open up a 3-1 lead, but LSU came back to level the match at 5-5. The teams traded points until consecutive kills and a block by Bowers gave the Gators a 10-7 lead. The Tigers fought back to take an 11-10 edge, but a service error on the home team and a Hampton kill swung the score back in UF's favor, 12-11. The tally leveled out again at 16-16, but a service error and a net violation on LSU preceded an ace by freshman defensive specialist Erin Fleming (Orlando, Fla.) to give UF a 19-16 lead. LSU came back to assume a 25-22 advantage, but a Bowers kill ignited a 3-0 UF run that tied the score and prompted the Tigers to call their first timeout of the stanza. The hosts scored three-consecutive points after the break to take a 28-25 lead, but the Gators fought to within one at 28-27, but LSU reeled off back-to-back points to take game three, 30-27.

Down 3-1 early in game four, the Gators rallied to take a 5-4 lead behind a pair of kills from Killingsworth. LSU battled back to take an 11-7 lead and force a UF timeout, and continued to increase its lead until the Gators found themselves down 15-7. Florida cut the deficit to 18-17 on kills by Rivers, McCray, Killingsworth and Hampton, but LSU ran out to a four-point lead, 21-17, as play continued. UF came storming back with four-straight points, the last two coming on Hampton kills, to tie the score at 21-21 and force an LSU timeout. The Tigers took the next three points, but the Gators refused to quit, tying the match at 24-24 on a double block by McGinnis and Bowers. Hampton ricocheted a kill off hands on the next rally to give UF a 25-24 lead, and the edge continued to increase with Killingsworth on serve. Hampton forced match point with a roll shot down the left line, and then sealed the match with a cross-court rocket to give the Gators a 30-24 win.

UF will return to action on Friday, Sept. 28, when it visits Mississippi State for an 8 p.m. EST tilt. Radio coverage of the action can be heard on Rock 104, as well as www.GatorZone.com.

SOUTH FLORIDA

Volleyball

USF Loses Close Match To Cincinnati

TAMPA - After coming back to tie the match, 2-2, the University of South Florida volleyball team couldn't hang on for the win and lost to BIG EAST foe Cincinnati, 3-2 (30-27, 25-30, 30-17, 28-30, 15-8), on Sunday afternoon at The Corral.

Both teams' offense had their struggles on the day, but Cincinnati (10-4, 2-0 BIG EAST) was more efficient, hitting .218 to USF's .160. The Bearcats also tallied 14 more kills that the Bulls, 71 to 57.

Defensively, the Bulls (8-3, 0-2 BIG EAST) out-worked Cincinnati at the net and had one of their best blocking matches of the season, netting 22.0 to the Bearcats' 13.0.

Two USF players had double-digit kill outings. Marcela Gurgel tallied a team high 20, while senior Kristina Fabris posted 15 and chipped in 18 digs for the double-double.

Alli Arbogast played a huge role for the Bulls in their blocking in the match. The sophomore led USF with 12.0 total blocks - one solo and 11 block assists - and tied her previous career high while also tying for fourth all-time in a single match.

After dropping the first game, the Bulls bounced back in the second set. With Cincinnati leading most of the way, USF broke the 22-22 stalemate for the lead thanks to Jarka Havlickova kill. After UC tied it up with a Jessie Nevitt kill, the Bulls used a 7-2 run to close out with the 30-25 win. Both teams offense hit well, but USF was almost flawless with its two errors and a .433 hitting percentage.

With its offense struggling in the third game, USF came out in game four and relied on their blocking while minimizing offensive mistakes. The Bulls tallied 8.0 total blocks and committed seven fewer errors than the Bearcats. The game was close and the Bulls battled the whole way to force a game five.

In the deciding set, both teams played each other close at the start, as the score was tied three times. With the score 8-7 in UC's favor, the Bulls could not keep up with the Bearcats, who went on a 7-1 run to close out for the match victory.

The Bulls will look to get back on the winning track when they hit the road to face Long Island on Friday at 5 p.m. and Rutgers on Sunday at 2 p.m.

[Last modified September 24, 2007, 00:18:37]