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Compiled from school press releases
Published November 2, 2007

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FLORIDA STATE

Women's soccer

FSU Closes Out Regular Season With 2-0 Win Over Clemson
Junior Mami Yamaguchi tallies her fourth multi-goal game of the season in the win.  

Clemson, S.C. – No. 15 Florida State (11-4-3, 6-2-2) closed out the regular season with a 2-0 victory over No. 25 Clemson (8-4-5, 1-3-5) Thursday evening at Riggs Field.  The victory extended the Seminoles unbeaten streak to nine games over the Tigers, while it was the fourth win in a row for FSU on Clemson’s home turf during the regular season.  Junior Mami Yamaguchi accounted for both goals becoming the Seminole record holder for points and goals in a single-season with 46 and 19, respectively.  

The Tigers looked to crack the scoreboard first in the 43rd minute as Nuria Zufia got a great look with a header on goal, but freshman keeper Erin McNulty was there for the save to keep the game scoreless.

It looked as though the two teams would go into the locker room tied at zero, but Yamaguchi had other plans finding the back of the net with 49 seconds left in the first half to give the Seminoles the 1-0 lead.  The goal was Yamaguchi’s team-leading 18th of the season.  Amanda DaCosta was credited with an assist on the play, her seventh of the season.  The freshman midfielder has now recorded a point in four consecutive games.  With the goal, Florida State extended its streak to 24 consecutive games with a goal.  

Clemson outshot Florida State 7-6 in the first half as both teams each took a corner kick and were called for three fouls apiece.

The Seminoles extended their lead to 2-0 in the 70th minute on a penalty kick goal by Yamaguchi.  DaCosta set up the pk opportunity as she was tackled hard in the box by a Tiger defender.  The Tokyo, Japan native stepped up to the line and successfully converted her second penalty kick attempt of the season to push her season goal total to 19.

Four of the six goals scored by Yamaguchi in league play have been game-winners.  The junior forward finished the season with 15 points (6 goals, 3 assists) in 10 league games.

The Florida State defense had another great game shutting out an opponent for the eighth time this season and for the fourth time in league play.  McNulty made five saves on the evening en route to earning her fifth career shutout.

The win moved the Seminoles into second place in the conference with 20 points.  Florida State must now await the results of this weekend’s matches featuring North Carolina/Virginia and Miami/Wake Forest to determine the Seminoles’ seeding in the 2007 ACC Tournament in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.  FSU will find out its seeding for the tournament no later than Monday, November 5.  The ACC Tournament begins Wednesday, November 7.  It is just the third time in league history that the conference tournament will be held in the state of Florida.

FLORIDA

Volleyball

No. 10 VB Rides Seniors To Road Sweep Of South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Senior outside hitter Marcie Hampton (Gainesville) posted her 12th double-double of the season and senior setter Angie McGinnis (Fraser, Mich.) broke the school record for setter digs as the No. 10 University of Florida volleyball team swept South Carolina (30-18, 30-9, 30-20) on Wednesday night.

Hampton finished with a match-high 17 kills on .483 hitting to pace a UF offense that hit .462 on the evening. She also posted 10 digs and a season-high five block assists to qualify for the 39th double-double of her career. McGinnis dished out 46 assists in the victory, while also coming up with seven digs to surpass Lauren Moscovic for the most digs in school history by a setter. Her current total stands at 995, three more than Moscovic tallied during her tenure in Gainesville. McGinnis also chipped in with five total blocks and an ace, tying Kris Bova for the fifth-most career aces by a setter in UF history (76).

"We have a very talented group of seniors, and they proved that fact with the way they played tonight," Florida head coach Mary Wise said. "It was a great all-around effort by our team, but the seniors really got us going from the start of the match. We challenge them day-in and day-out, and they constantly rise to those challenges."

Senior middle blocker Kisya Killingsworth (Deltona) registered 11 kills on 12 swings to post a career-best .917 hitting percentage, and senior opposite hitter Amber McCray (Longview, Texas) contributed nine kills. Junior middle blocker Kelsey Bowers (Gainesville) was also active on the offensive end, putting up 10 kills on .562 hitting in the win.

UF (21-1, 14-1 Southeastern Conference) won the dig battle, 52-31, and out-blocked South Carolina, 11.5-6.0, on the night to hold the Gamecocks to just .040 hitting. Killingsworth led all players with eight blocks, while sophomore libero/defensive specialist Erin Fleming (Orlando) had nine and freshman outside hitter Callie Rivers (Winter Park) chipped in with eight. Florida jumped out to an early 5-3 lead in game one behind a block assist from McGinnis and Bowers, as well as a pair of kills by Hampton. After South Carolina came back to take a brief 7-6 lead, McCray nailed kills on consecutive rallies to edge the Gators back out in front. With the match tied at 10-10, UF embarked on a 7-2 run, fueled by a kill from Rivers and a block assist by McGinnis and Killingsworth, to take a 17-12 advantage. After a kill by McGinnis forced a USC timeout with the Gators leading, 21-14, Florida got a double block from McCray and Killingsworth and a kill from Hampton to run the margin to 23-14. The Gators' lead reached 11, 26-15, on another kill by McCray, and McGinnis and Killingsworth closed out a 30-18 game-one win for UF when they teamed up to record Florida's fifth block of the frame. Hampton and McCray each had six kills to pace an offense that hit .514 in the opener, while Killingsworth led the defensive charge with four block assists.

UF took the first six points of game two on the serving of sophomore Cusack, with Hampton collecting four kills and teaming up with Killingsworth for a block during the stretch, to prompt an early South Carolina timeout. The Gators took six of the first seven points after the break to assume a 12-1 lead and force USC to use its final timeout of the stanza, and McGinnis fired Florida's first ace of the night immediately after the stoppage to push the lead to 13-1. McCray's seventh kill of the night made the score 16-2 in favor of the Orange and Blue, and the Gators found themselves with a 20-5 lead two-thirds of the way through the game courtesy of a kill from Bowers. With the score 21-8, Florida reeled off six-straight points, including back-to-back aces by Rivers, to take a 27-8 lead, anace to cap a 9-1 UF run and seal the 30-9 win. The effort marked the first time this season that Florida held an opponent to a single-digit point total, limiting the Gamecocks to a -.130 hitting percentage while posting a sizzling .536 rating of their own. Florida chalked up 3.5 blocks, 16 digs and four aces in the stanza, while holding USC to just two game-two kills.

After falling behind 3-1 in game three, Florida captured the next five points to take a 6-3 lead, getting a pair of kills from both Rivers and Hampton along the way. Bowers registered kills on back-to-back rallies to push the count to 11-5, but USC battled back to pull with two points at 12-10.

Bowers ended the Gamecocks' run with a kill down the middle of the court, and kills by Hampton and Killingsworth helped increase the lead to 17-12. McCray sent the Gators to the 20-point mark with a four-point lead, and subsequent kills by Hampton and Bowers forced a South Carolina timeout with the scoreboard reading 22-16 in Florida's favor.

USC narrowed the lead to 23-20 after the break, but Bowers responded with a kill to make the score 24-20 and a Gamecock net violation on the next rally sent the hosts into another timeout with the Gators on top, 25-20. Three kills by Killingsworth and an ace by Cusack propelled UF to five-consecutive points after timeout, closing out the match with a 30-20 win and ending the contest on a 7-0 run. Florida hit .372 in the decisive game, led by a half-dozen kills from Bowers.

The Gators will now return home to prepare for Sunday's matchup with Arkansas, a rematch with the only team to get the better of them this season. The action is slated to commence at 1 p.m. ET, and radio coverage can be heard on WRUF-AM 850, as well as www.GatorZone.com. GatorVision Online subscribers will be able to view the contest live via the Internet.

 

Women's swimming

Florida Women's Swimming and Diving Tops Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The University of Florida women's swimming and diving team rebounded from their first loss of the season last week and defeated the University of Kentucky, 167-132, this afternoon in Lexington. It was the first time the two programs had met since the 2003-04 season. With the win the Gators improve to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the Southeastern Conference.

The Gators finished the meet with nine first place finishes and three sweeps of the top three spots, including the first individual event of the day, the 1,000 freestyle. Kim Larson (Longwood, Fla.) led the way for Florida, winning the event with a time of 9:56.55. Freshman Madison Parker (Biloxi, Miss.) turned in the second fastest time at 10:14.04 while Stacy Nedrud (Melbourne, Fla.) swam in third with a time of 10:16.20.

Laurabeth Guenthner (Wellington, Fla.) and Stephanie Napier (Chattanooga, Tenn.) combined to go one-two in the 200 yard free. Guenthner touched in first with a time of 1:51.62 while Napier followed at 1:51.86. Both swimmers were over two seconds faster than the third place finisher in the event. Each swimmers time was good for the fifth and sixth fastest times of the season in the 200 free. Florida excelled in the 100 back, claiming all four top spots of the event. Samantha Vanderbilt (Nashville, Tenn.) earned first place, swimming to the wall in 56.09 seconds, her second fastest time of the year. She was followed by Kelsey Smith (Cary, N.C.) in second with a time of 57.40, marking the fourth fastest Gator time this season. Sarah Peterson (Franklin, Tenn.) and Rebekah Epley (Russellville, Ky.) swam in at third and fourth place with times of 58.05 and 58.32 respectively.

Caroline Burckle (Louisville, Ky.) remained undefeated in individual events this season, claiming the top spot in the 100 yard breaststroke. Burckle swam her second fastest time in the short course pool, clocking in at 1:03.81 for the win. Amanda Hartley (Tallahassee) swam her second best time of the season at 1:04.78 to finish third. Julianne Lago (Miami) swam to her second provisional time this season, finishing first in the 200 yard butterfly with a time of 2:01.06. Freshman Sarah Sykes (Jacksonville) and senior Natalie Pike (Boca Raton) combined to go three-four in the event, touching the wall with times o f 2:02.89 and 2:05.02. For all three swimmers, their times marked a season best for each. For Lago, her time was the top time swum by a Gator in the short course pool. Kelsey Smith (Cary, N.C.) led off the second sweep in the 200 backstroke for the Gators. She finished with a time of 2:03.40, to claim the top spot. Smith was followed by Stacy Nedrud (Melbourne Beach) and Sarah Peterson (Franklin, Tenn.) who swam into the second and third place slots with times of 2:05.54 and 2:05.92.

Burckle was able to keep her unbeaten streak alive when she returned to the pool in the 200 yard breaststroke, tying with Hartley for first place with a time of 2:19.10. It was a season beast for each swimmer as well as a season best time for the team. Elizabeth Kemp and Sykes combined to go one-two in the 500 yard freestyle. Kemp touched first with a time of 4:58.05 while Sykes was behind her with a time of 5:02.07. Nedrud would return to the pool after Pike, Epley and Jenny Lago (Wellington, Fla.) combined to take the second through fourth place times in the 100 yard butterfly. Nedrud wrapped up the first place finishes for the Gators, taking the top time in the 200 yard individual medley with a time of 2:06.91. For Nedrud, it was her best time this season in the short course yards. Florida had a strong day on the diving boards as well, earning one zone qualifying score from Jennifer Funch (Cincinnati, Oh.), who received a score of 278.62 on the one meter board. She would latfinish fifth on the three meter board with a score of 212.93. Jeana Bartell (Boca Raton) had Florida's best finish in the three meter event, taking third with a score of 261.90, she was followed by Monica Dodson (Franklin Ind.) who finished fourth with a score of 238.88.

The Gators will now have over a week off as they prepare for the Purdue Invitational in West Lafayette, Ind. from November 16-18. The Gator men will travel to Lexington next Thursday to face the Wildcats for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

 

Women's basketball

Florida Women's Hoops Dominates Warner Southern in Exhibition, 106-28

GAINESVILLE - New head coach Amanda Butler claimed throughout the preseason that the Florida women's basketball team would play an up-tempo, full-court style game. During the team's lone preseason exhibition game, the Gators looked every bit like the squad Butler described they would be, as Florida dominated Warner Southern, 106-28, Thursday evening at the O'Connell Center.

All 10 scholarship players who entered the game scored at least six points, with five Gators tallying a double-figure scoring effort, helping Florida reach the century mark for the first time since topping Tennessee State, 100-54, on Dec. 28, 2000. Junior Aneika Henry (Coconut Grove) led the Gators with a double-double, scoring 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting, along with 10 rebounds. The tallest player on the floor at 6-foot-3, Henry also recorded three blocks and two steals.

"I think you got a glimpse of what Aneika's impact is," Butler said. "She's able to do a lot of things on the court that other people just aren't capable of doing. Combine that with the fact that she plays very hard and really wants to get better every time she steps onto the court, her future is very bright." Senior Depree Bowden (Palmetto) and junior Sha Brooks (Jackson, Tenn.) followed Henry with 14 points a piece, while fellow juniors Kim Critton (Memphis, Tenn.) and Marshae Dotson (Columbus, Ohio) topped the 10-point mark with 13 and 12 points, respectively. The duo also followed Henry on the boards with nine rebounds each, helping Florida to a 60-34 rebounding edge.

Warner Southern was led by freshman guard Ivana Soberal, who contributed 19 of the Royals' 28 total points. The West Palm Beach, Fla., native also led Warner Southern with seven rebounds and two steals in the contest, but turned the ball over 15 times. Riding the momentum from the first half, when Florida assumed a commanding 57-16 halftime lead, Butler's locker room talk kept the Gators focused on both ends of the court. The Royals couldn't connect on their first field goal of the second half until the 12:22 mark, while Florida continued to extend its offensive advantage and out-rebounded the visitors, 39-15, in the final 20 minutes.

"From a coaching standpoint when you go into a locker room and issue a challenge and a team responds like that, you certainly have to be pleased," Butler said. Florida finished the game hitting 56 percent (42-of-75) of its shots, while forcing the Royals into 37 turnovers and shooting just 16.4 percent (10-61). The Gators outscored the Royals, 57-16, in the first half, shooting 22-of-34 (64.6%). The Orange and Blue were led during the opening 20 minutes by Brooks and Henry, scoring in double figures with 10 and 11 points, respectively. Henry also snagged five rebounds to go with two blocks and a steal in the first half.

The Gators actually scored two points before tip-off due a Warner Southern-technical foul for not getting the starting lineups in on time. Brooks sank two free shots to give Florida the pre-game lead, 2-0, and the Gators started the game on a 12-0 run and never looked back. The 2007-08 regular season begins Friday, November 9th, when Florida hosts Xavier at the O'Connell Center at 5:30 p.m.

 

[Last modified November 1, 2007, 23:12:33]

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