About three years ago, Florida held on for a five set win to knock off Florida State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. On Friday, it was Florida State’s turn to return the favor.
The Seminoles (26-7) upset the fifth-seeded Gators in Gainesville on Friday (25-15, 20-25, 22-25, 25-22, 15-9) to advance to the Sweet 16 and eliminate a heavy national-title favorite in Florida.
“We talked about what a great second-round matchup this was going to be,” Gators coach Mary Wise said. “All credit goes to Florida State. Obviously, 25-15 in the first set, they played with just so much effort and intensity.”
It looked like the game could have gotten out of hand early after Florida State led by as many as 11 points in the first set, but Florida slowly came back to take the next two sets and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
But that would be the end of the celebration for the Gators, thanks in large part to the play of Florida State sophomore outside hitter Nicole Walch.
Walch was the most dominant player on the court, registering a match-high 22 kills on a hitting percentage of .271. Walch was also third on the team with 15 digs, and her strong defense prevented Florida from getting any kind of runs going.
“It’s just unbelievable to see how far she’s come,” Elise Walch, Nicole’s sister, said. “I’m so proud of her and it just makes me so much more excited to play with her.”
With Friday's loss, the Gators' quest to win their first national title in program history drought continues for at least another season.
After winning the third set and seemingly having the upper hand with the home crowd, Florida didn’t lead at any point during the fourth set and fell behind by as many as six points late in the set.
After evening it up by winning the fourth set, Florida State didn’t take its foot off the pedal and controlled the entire final set.
The Seminoles hit a commanding .625 in the fifth set, compared to just .333 for the Gators. The Gators didn’t help their case after both junior libero Taylor Unroe and sophomore middle blocker Simone Antwi committed service errors in the decider.
Florida State will now move on to face the winner of the California-Wisconsin match in the Sweet 16. Florida will lose two starters in senior setter Taylor Brauneis and senior middle blocker Chloe Mann, who finished her career with the highest hitting percentage in NCAA history.
“Credit to Florida State, they played really well,” Mann said. “We were both fighting for our lives and they played really tough, and our team fought to the end and I’m proud of our effort, but it wasn’t enough tonight.”
Follow RJ Schaffer on Twitter @rjschaffer.
Gators coach Mary Wise (left) and Chloe Mann speak to reporters at their press conference following Florida’s five-set defeat against Florida State on Friday night in the O'Connell Center.
