MATCH OVER
This one has been over since the beginning of game three. No. 13 seed UF could not put up any sort of resistance to the No. 4 seeded Longhorns after game two, and lost the match 1-3 (27-30, 31-29, 16-30, 15-30).
What happened after game two? UF looked like it was ready to get back into the match, but nothing happened. The season is over, and the team runs off the court with only its third loss of the season.
Amber McCray led UF with 15 kills and Kisya Killingsworth had 12.
UF-Texas GAME THREE
UF tied the match in game two with a thrilling 31-29 win, and then lost an error-filled game three 16-30. It was the worst game of the season for the Gators, who are currently down 2-1 in this regional semifinal match.
Game three did not begin or end well for UF, as the Gators got in a 2-8 hole from which they could not climb out. Texas ended it with a service ace.
The Gators looked frustrated, committing six errors by the time Texas was up 20-9. Nothing seemed to be going right for them, as play after play Texas dug up their swings. The Gators looked nothing like the team that battled back from a deficit late in game two.`
Immediately after subbing in for the first time and getting a kill, UF sophomore middle blocker Kristina Johnson went down on a point where Texas got a kill, and she was not able to walk off the court without help. She was taken to the locker room, and UF senior outside hitter Marcie Hampton followed her in. No word on the extent of her injury.
After taking a large lead early game two, UF could not hold on and Texas tied the game. Texas took a 28-25 lead after UF tied the game at 25, but the Gators roared back and scored a quick two points off a service error and a block to come within one. Texas used a timeout, and then UF senior middle blocker Kisya Killingsworth tied the game at 28 with a kill.
Killingsworth played a huge role at the end of game two, getting the aforementioned kill and then two more. She tied the game at 29 with a kill, then gave UF a 30-29 lead, and then blocked a Texas attack to give UF the game.
UF-Texas GAME TWO MIDWAY
Texas is up 1-0 after the first game but the Gators are leading 12-7 in game two. The Gators looked good in game one late, but could not break the 26-26 tie and wound up losing the game.
Thus far in game two, UF came out strong, forcing a Texas timeout when the Longhorns were down 0-4. They were leading by six points at 8-2, but Texas has recently fought back.
Texas took a 10-6 lead early in game one and UF had to call a timeout. Texas had scored three straight blocks earlier in the game. After the timeout, UF got two points on UT errors and eventually tied the game at 16.
The game was tied all the way through 19 points before Texas took a three-point lead and made UF use its second timeout.
Texas could not hold its lead, however, as UF senior setter Angie McGinnis tied the game at 26 when she dumped the ball over Texas instead of passing to a hitter. The Longhorns did not expect this, and the ball dropped to the floor. Texas then used its first timeout.
But the Gators could not take a lead. After the timeout, Texas got two straight kills from freshman Juliann Faucette and held on to win game one 30-27.
The Gators came out wearing all black - they didn't want to show Texas any shade of orange.
USC-St. JOHN'S MATCH OVER
The match is over, and USC, the No. 5 seed in the tournament, defeated St. John's 3-2 (30-27, 30-22, 26-30, 24-30, 15-10).
USC won the match with a St. John's attack error.
USC took a quick lead in game five at 4-0, causing St. John's to call a timeout. Still, the Red Storm could not recover and were down 8-1 when the teams switched courts. The St. John's cheering section frantically encouraged its team to "fight," and fight it did. The Red Storm rallied off seven straight points to tie the game at 8.
The game was tied 9-9 and then 10-10 when USC scored two straight points on a kill and a block to take the lead it would not relinquish The Trojans scored the last five points of the match.
UF and Texas will take the court in half an hour.
USC-St. JOHN'S END GAME FOUR
St. John's has just put away game four 30-24 here in the O'Dome.
The Red Storm game back from behind and won the game on a USC attack error.
After two games USC was up 2-0, but the Red Storm have fought back to tie this match. We're going to five games, where the first to 15 points wins the match. It's been an exciting prelude to the UF-Texas match. In about half an hour, we'll have our winner and know who UF or Texas will face tomorrow.
USC-St. JOHN'S GAME FOUR MIDWAY
The third game of the USC-St. John's match ended in favor of the Red Storm, but the Trojans are still leading 2-1. The Gators match will start at the conclusion of this one. USC is up 16-15 in game four.
