Friday was a tale of two outcomes for University of Florida sports teams, with soccer, men’s and women’s tennis and volleyball all in action across the country. The most important game of the day was No. 8 Florida Gators soccer (15-5-2, 8-1-2 SEC) taking on No. 15 South Carolina Gamecocks (17-3-1, 7-3-1 SEC) in the semifinal round of the Southeastern Conference Championship Tournament in Orange Beach, AL.

After winning the regular season and defeating the Tennessee Volunteers in the first round, the Gators fell 1-0 to the Gamecocks. Ironically enough, Florida defeated South Carolina 3-0 one week ago in Gainesville, FL, to clinch the SEC regular season title. The Gamecocks scored their lone deciding goal off of a penalty kick at 10:36 in the first half, the first to be successfully scored against the Gators all season.

Also in action were players from the school’s tennis teams. Freshman Allie Will dropped a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 decision to Pichittra Thongbach of the Boise State Broncos in the round of 16 at the ITA National Indoor Tennis Championships. Considered the second leg of the collegiate Grand Slam, Will was the lone Florida female to earn a spot in the event and now holds a 20-3 singles record and 13-3 doubles mark on the season. The men’s doubles team of junior Alexandre Lacroix and redshirt senior Antoine Benneteau, who were previously undefeated, lost an ITA quarterfinal match 8-6 to Tennessee’s Boris Koncic and Rhyne Williams. Lacroix, who was also competing in singles consolation action, won 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 over Patricio Alvarado of the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.

Last but certainly not least on the evening was No. 9/11 Gators volleyball (19-3, 13-2 SEC), who earned their seventh consecutive sweep of a league opponent by taking down the Georgia Bulldogs (14-11, 5-9 SEC) 25-16, 25-20, 25-14. Four Florida players hit better than .500 and sophomore hitters Kristy Jaeckel and Kelly Murphy combined for 23 kills on the night in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Volleyball will be back in action on Sunday against the Auburn Tigers in Gainesville at 1:30 p.m. The match will air live on Sun Sports.

Tags: Alexandre Lacroix, Allie Will, Antoine Benneteau, Auburn Tigers, Boise State Broncos, Boris Koncic, Georgia Bulldogs, ITA National Indoor Tennis Championships, Kelly Murphy, Kristy Jaeckel, O'Connell Center, Patricio Alvarado, Pichittra Thongbach, Rhyne Williams, SEC, SEC Championship, soccer, South Carolina Gamecocks, Southern Miss Golden Eagles, Tennessee Volunteers, tennis, University of Florida, volleyball

Sweeping their sixth consecutive Southeastern Conference opponent, the No. 10/12 Florida Gators volleyball team (18-3, 12-2 SEC) took down the Mississippi State Bulldogs (6-19, 2-13 SEC) 3-0 (25-23, 27-25, 25-22) on the road Sunday in Starkville, MS. Florida sophomore right-side/setter Kelly Murphy recorded her seventh triple-double of the season with 11 kills, 25 assists and 10 digs. Murphy’s triple-double was the 13th of her career, a Gators record.

The Florida volleyball team will return home to host the Georgia Bulldogs (14-10, 5-8 SEC) next Friday at 7 p.m. in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.

In soccer news… The Gators (14-4-2, 8-1-2 SEC) have earned the top seed in the SEC Championship Tournament and will face the defending champion No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers (8-8-3, 4-5-2 SEC) on Wednesday, Nov. 4 in Orange Beach, AL. Meeting earlier this season in Knoxville, TN, Florida and Tennessee tied 2-2 after two overtimes.

Tags: Georgia Bulldogs, Kelly Murphy, Mississippi State Bulldogs, O'Connell Center, soccer, Tennessee Volunteers, volleyball

No. 5 Florida Gators women’s cross country won the 2009 Southeastern Conference Championship meet on Saturday, the team’s first conference title since 1997. With all five scoring runners placing in the top 10, redshirt sophomore Rebecca Lowe took first place. Lowe’s victory (20:57.35) was the first time that Florida has had an individual champion since Becki Wells won back-to-back titles in 1995-96. It was also the ninth-best SEC Championship time in school history.

“This title means a lot to us,” Lowe said. “It’s been a long time coming for the Gators and we are proud to bring a championship back to Gainesville. It was also a step forward for us as we look toward Regionals and Nationals. It’s so amazing to win both the individual and team titles today.”

The Gators have advanced to the NCAA South Region Championships where a first- or second-place finish will earn them an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. Florida will have a week off before heading to Tuscaloosa, AL, for the meet.

In other Gators news… Men’s cross country fell short of the SEC title, finishing in fourth place … No. 10/12 Florida volleyball (17-3, 11-2 SEC) notched another win Friday with a 3-0 shutout (25-20, 25-22, 33-31) of Alabama Crimson Tide (6-17, 4-9 SEC). Sophomore right-side/setter Kelly Murphy had her sixth triple-double of the season while sophomore outside hitter Kristy Jaeckel recorded a match-high 16 kills.

Image courtesy of GatorZone.com.

Tags: cross country, Kelly Murphy, Kristy Jaeckel, NCAA, Rebecca Lowe, SEC, SEC Championship, South Region, volleyball

1 » Volleyball (16-3, 10-2 SEC) continues to roll through the SEC as the No. 10/11 Florida Gators swept the Ole Miss Rebels (8-14, 2-10 SEC) in straight sets (25-18, 25-13, 25-16) on Sunday in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Sophomore right-side/setter Kelly Murphy continues her stellar play and recorded a match-high 14 kills. Florida goes on the road to Tuscaloosa, AL, to square off against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Oct. 30 at 8 p.m.

2 » The No. 12 Florida soccer team (13-4-2, 7-1-2 SEC) defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks (8-6-4, 2-6-2 SEC) Sunday afternoon on the road at Razorback Field by a 1-0 margin. The victory puts Florida in first place in the conference heading into its final match of the regular season Friday, Oct. 30 against No. 10 South Carolina Gamecocks.

3 » The Gators women’s swimming and diving team won the 2009 SMU Classic in Dallas, TX, on Saturday, finishing in first-place with 353 points ahead of the Louisville Cardinals, Wisconsin Badgers, Southern Methodist Perunas, Florida State Seminoles and Rice Owls. The rest of the team that did not compete in that event were also victorious on the weekend, taking down both Arkansas and the Kansas Jayhawks in double-dual on the road in Fayetteville, AK.

Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Soccer rolls; Volleyball wins; Swimming dominates; Tennis in finals

Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, Alexandre Lacroix, Allie Will, Antoine Benneteau, Arkansas Razorbacks, Connor Smith, diving, Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Bulldogs, ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships, Kansas Jayhawks, Kelly Murphy, Laura Vallverdu, Lauren McCreless, Louisville Cardinals, Miami Hurricanes, O'Connell Center, Ole Miss Rebels, Rice Owls, SEC, SMU Classic, soccer, South Carolina Gamecocks, Southern Methodist, swimming, tennis, University of Florida, Vahid Mirzadeh, volleyball, Wilson/ITA Southeast Regional Championship, Wisconsin Badgers, Yale University

1 » In his weekly Monday afternoon press conference, Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer named his Champions Club for the Arkansas Razorbacks game. On offense, linemen Mike and Maurkice Pouncey, Carl Johnson, Marcus Gilbert were honored, as was quarterback Tim Tebow, running back Jeff Demps and wide receiver Deonte Thompson. Defense received less accolades, with linemen Omar Hunter and Terron Sanders and safety Major Wright getting praise. WR Riley Cooper was named offensive player of the game while CB Joe Haden brought home the defensive player of the game honors.

Continue Reading » SIX BITS: Champions Club; Meyer & Mullen; Penalty mistake; SEC awards; Basketball news

Tags: Arkansas Razorbacks, Billy Donovan, Carl Johnson, Dan Mullen, Deonte Thompson, Erik Murphy, Jeff Demps, Joe Haden, Kelly Murphy, Kenny Boynton, Kentucky Wildcats, Major Wright, Malcom Sheppard, Marcus Gilbert, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Pouncey, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Omar Hunter, Riley Cooper, SEC, soccer, Tahnai Annis, Terron Sanders, Tim Tebow, University of Florida, Urban Meyer, volleyball

1 » Former Florida Gators student-athlete Ryan Lochte is one of the most decorated swimmers in school history. A star in college, Lochte moved on to win three gold, one silver and two bronze medals combined in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. Looking to return the 2012 Games in London, Lochte is not the only member of his family with aquatic tendencies. His brother Devon, 19, is a redshirt freshman at Florida and plans to compete in mid-distance free style and butterfly this season. “[Devon] has got some real good physical tools and a nice feel for the water,” said Gators swimming coach Gregg Troy. While Devon not nearly as good as his older brother, he is getting there. “If he’s 110 percent devoted and dedicated and willing to push his body, I think he’s going to be better than me,” Ryan said. In truth, all that Devon cares about is getting to the Olympics and achieving his secret lifelong goal. “We never really told anyone, but we want to be in the Olympics on the same relay team,” Devon said.

Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Another Lochte; Volleyball sweeps; Soccer ties, wins; Cross Country finishes 2nd

Tags: Arkansas Razorbacks, Auburn Tigers, cross country, Devon Lochte, Georgia Bulldogs, Gregg Troy, Kelly Murphy, Lindsay Thompson, LSU Tigers, Olympics, Ramsey Student Center, Regal Soccer Stadium, Ryan Lochte, soccer, Student Activities Center, swimming, Tahnai Annis, Tennessee Volunteers, UGA Soccer Stadium, volleyball, Washington Huskies

1 » Sun Sports announced on Thursday that the Nov. 21 game between the No. 1 Florida Gators and FIU Panthers will be aired live on pay-per-view at 12:30 p.m. throughout the state of Florida. A taped presentation of the game will air that Sunday at 8:30 a.m. and the next Tuesday at 11 p.m. “Per Southeastern Conference television contracts, when an SEC team does not have its game selected for live TV by one of the SEC’s television partners (i.e. CBS, ESPN, SEC Network, etc.), it is permitted to offer that game live on a statewide basis on pay-per-view,” the University of Florida said in a release. Outside Florida, the game will be offered via ESPN GamePlan.

2 » Sophomore right-side/setter Kelly Murphy led the way for the No. 6/6 Florida Gators volleyball team (12-2, 6-1 SEC) as it defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks 3-1 (24-26, 25-19, 25-23, 25-15) Wednesday night live on ESPNU from Columbia, SC. Murphy had her NCAA-leading fourth triple-double of the season, outside hitters Kristy Jaeckel and Colleen Ward combined for 36 kills and the Gators out-blocked the Gamecocks 12-5 in the victory. Florida returns to action Sunday in Baton Rouge, LA, following in the football team’s footsteps by taking on the LSU Tigers at 7 p.m. The match will also air live on ESPNU.

A little extra is no big deal » Associate head coach and defensive coordinator Charlie Strong forced his unit to watch tape of the 2007 Florida Gators vs. LSU Tigers game – the last time the teams played in Tiger Stadium. Seeing the defense painfully falter in the waning minutes provided extra motivation for the players this week.

Tags: Charlie Strong, Colleen Ward, Kelly Murphy, Kristy Jaeckel, volleyball