The Gators defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes in four sets in the regional semifinals Sunday, and the dynamic duo of T’ara Ceasar and Thayer Hall led the way.
Ceasar paced the Gators with 17 kills across four sets of action. Hall notched 11 kills, and junior Marlie Monserez tallied eight kills to pair with 35 assists and a hitting percentage of .538.
Florida now advances to its 17th regional final under head coach Mary Wise.
The opening set started out sloppy on both sides. Ohio State finished the set with a hitting percentage of .098 compared to Florida’s .154. The Gators held a three-point lead at the first media timeout.
The Buckeyes attempted to mount a comeback, but they couldn’t overcome their nine attack errors and three service errors. Florida clinched the opening set 25-20.
Ohio State woke up in the second set and jumped out to a three-point advantage. Florida fought back to tie the set at 11, but OSU quickly regained its lead and led 17-13 when Wise called a timeout.
The timeout worked wonders for Florida. It went on a 4-0 run to cut Ohio State’s lead to one. The Buckeyes weren’t about to give their lead away, however. After a timeout, they put their foot on the gas and claimed a four-point lead. The Gators refused to cave and fought all the way back to tie. UF sealed the pivotal second set 26-24.
The Gators looked to close out the Buckeyes in the third set. Ohio State kept things close throughout the set and refused to go quietly into the night. The score tied at 15 before Ohio State went on 4-0 run and sizeda four-point lead. This time, the Buckeyes avoided the sweep with a 25-23 victory.
Florida didn’t mess around in the fourth set. The Gators jumped out to a five-point lead and didn’t look back. The lead grew to 10 before Ohio State took its second set timeout, but at that point, the damage was done. Florida took the match after a t 25-16 fourth set.
As a team, Florida totaled 53 kills and 19 attack errors. Ohio State notched 58 kills and 45 attack errors.
To Wise, the team’s blocking defined the game and allowed the Gators to hold Ohio State’s offense well below its average hitting percentage.
After winning six of its first seven sets in the tournament against Morehead State and Ohio State, the Gators will match up against the top-ranked Wisconsin Badgers.
“They feature one of the best middles in the entire country,” Wise said. “They also have All-Americans all up and down their lineup. There's a reason there's a No. 1seed.”
The regional final match’s first serve is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday.
Contact Michael Hull at mhull@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @Michael_Hull33
Michael Hull is a fourth-year journalism sports & media major and a sports writer at The Alligator. He hosts the weekly sports podcast and has worked on staff for five semesters. In the past, Hull has served as the sports editor, the men's and women's golf beat writer, the volleyball beat writer and the football beat writer.
