London Johnson clapped his hands together. The overlapping roar of the crowd at the Swamp nearly drowned out the signal for the Charleston Southern center to snap the ball. Then, an orange and blue blur came rushing toward him.
I would normally recommend taking a step back from the hysterically overblown hype of this game. Take Feleipe Franks’ jump pass, take the two blocked kicks, take that goofy GIF of coach Dan Mullen dancing — take it all and bury it in a box. Bury that box in a ditch and toss that ditch into a river.
The O’Connell Center stood on the tips of its collective toes as freshman Lauren Dooley took her approach toward a set from Allie Monserez.
Death, taxes and a scoreless Gators offense.
With an 8-all score in the fourth set, Florida’s volleyball coach Mary Wise sat on the team bench looking tense. She clutched her clipboard with both hands and held it close to her face just over her mouth, watching the long rally finish out from the sidelines.
Feleipe Franks faked a handoff to Jordan Scarlett and darted left. With multiple Charleston Southern defenders in front of him, Franks swung the ball out to wide receiver Josh Hammond, who picked up 11 yards and a first down for UF on the first play of the game.
Coach Dan Mullen has been saying that he wants bring back a key component that Florida football has been lacking in recent years.
As the ball came careening down from the rafter and Louisville’s outside hitter Amanda Green hit it, UF senior middle blocker Taelor Kellum stuffed it back to the other side, putting the Gators up by two in the fourth set and icing the match for her team.
Update Sept. 2, 3:07 a.m.:
The first home match of the 2018 season for the Florida volleyball team began with players jumping with glee and throwing T-shirts into the stands. It ended with those same players jumping with desperation trying to block No. 7 USC’s spikes and throwing their arms up in frustration.
The Gators, however, didn’t fare any better on the scoreboard. Lackluster offense and stellar defense were the only two takeaways in a scoreless draw between the Bruins (2-1-0) and the Gators (2-1-2) on Friday.
Sports boys and sports girls, it is time.
The NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Committee announced Thursday afternoon that Florida men’s golf coach J.C. Deacon has been issued a public reprimand for his actions at the 2018 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf National Championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on May 28.
It has been 29 years since the Florida Gators lost a home-opener, and this year should be no different.
Every meal Florida’s football team eats is meticulously accounted for. Calories are measured down to the last bite, and it all corresponds to the team’s new strength and conditioning program.
After splitting its first two matches last weekend in the VERT Challenge, the No. 4 Florida volleyball team enters the Bubly Invitational with its third top-ten matchup of the season against No. 7 USC today in the O’Connell Center at 7 p.m. The team will then face Louisville on Saturday and UCF on Sunday.
With zero goals in its last two games, Florida’s soccer team has been hit with a major offensive lull. With the No. 2 team in the nation heading to Gainesville on today, the Gators (2-2) will have to play to their full potential if they’re going to end their scoring drought against the Bruins (2-0).
Offense wins games, but defense wins championships.
“The Hangover” could take a lesson from the way Florida struggled last weekend.
Solutions by The State News
