Florida soccer, volleyball both take down No. 1-ranked teams in the same night

By Adam Silverstein
August 25, 2017
Florida soccer, volleyball both take down No. 1-ranked teams in the same night
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Image Credit: ESPN Images

Friday was a banner night for the Florida Gators at the onset of the 2017-18 athletic season as, within a couple hours of one another, the Florida soccer and volleyball teams each defeated the No. 1 team in the nation at home in Gainesville, Florida.

Soccer (3-0) earned a tight 3-2 win over the Stanford Cardinal (2-1), and No. 12 volleyball (1-0) opened its season with a 3-1 takedown of the Texas Longhorns (0-1).

Gators soccer trailed twice against the Cardinal at Donald R. Dizney Stadium, tying the game with a header by redshirt senior midfielder Gabby Seller from 3 yards out at 79′ and eventually winning with a 6-yard strike from junior MF Lais Araujo at 82′.

Volleyball was in the middle of its match with Texas at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center during that time and eventually prevailed in four sets (25-16, 25-23, 18-25, 25-21). Senior outside hitter Carli Snyder led the way with 14 kills and 20.5 points along with 20 digs and six aces, while sophomore middle back Rachael Kramer hit at a .391 rate with 11 kills and 13.5 points on the evening.

The victory for UF soccer was its second all-time over a No. 1-ranked team in Gainesville (2-1-1) and its first in history over Stanford (4-1-1). The program did not have statistics about its record against top-ranked teams on the road and at neutral sites available.

Florida volleyball also picked up its second win all-time over a No. 1-ranked team at home (2-3), and it’s now 3-14 against top-ranked opponents.

Though it is early in the season, both victories should give the Gators women plenty of confidence as they begin long seasons that do not conclude until the late fall.

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