Florida A&M came into the O'Connell Center focused on upsetting the No. 15 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament behind senior middle blocker Samara Ferraz.
High above the practice courts hang reminders of tradition.
With the conference title all wrapped up, UF headed west to play its final match of the regular season on Saturday.
For her entire 17-year tenure at UF, coach Mary Wise has had her team in a position to win the regular season Southeastern Conference title.
UF lost its last match - and its slim conference lead - to Kentucky on Sunday, but the Gators are far from out of the driver's seat.
On this weekend's road trip, UF took two steps forward in a sweep of Tennessee and one giant step backward in a five-set thriller with Kentucky.
With UF sitting all alone atop the Southeastern Conference standings, it would be bold to suggest the No. 12 Gators have a tough time matching up with anything the conference throws at them.
UF looked to put some distance between itself and the rest of the Southeastern Conference after word of Kentucky's Friday-night loss reached Gainesville.
When UF faced off with Auburn on Oct. 17, sophomore Erin Fleming made major contributions coming off the bench.
For Marcie Hampton, there are no more long practices with 13 other players who she has come to call "sisters."
UF coach Mary Wise expected tough challenges from Georgia and Kentucky this season, but keeping all of her players on the court has been her toughest task of late.
UF coach Mary Wise couldn't seem to find her seat during Sunday's 3-0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-11) sweep against Arkansas.
Night after night, the Gators trot out a slew of physically captivating freshman point scorers.
UF coach Mary Wise is calling upon a power greater than herself to fix her team's recent middle-blocking struggles.
No amount of history was going to help UF defeat Georgia on Sunday.
Nestled deep into the snowy banks of Aurora, Ill., lies a gold mine of volleyball talent.
Nestled deep into the snowy banks of Aurora, Ill., lies a gold mine of volleyball talent.
If it were up to Kelsey Bowers, the Gators would have a big bulls-eye stitched into their uniforms just below their names and numbers.
When UF associate head coach Nick Cheronis addressed the media on Monday, he attributed the Gators' recent success largely to timing.
Thanks to the unexpected contributions of their sophomore defensive specialist, the Gators were able to avoid a let down in Auburn on Friday night.
Solutions by The State News
