Before the No. 5 Gators walked onto the mats of the O’Connell Center, the team sat down and described its individual goals heading into its meet against No. 9 Alabama on Friday.
Stan and LaTasha Holloway watched eagerly from the sidelines as their son, sophomore Grant Holloway, peeled off without hesitation at the sound of the starting gun.
I can’t speak for everyone, but these Winter Olympic games have been hard to keep up with.
Just over a minute into the third quarter, South Carolina forward A’ja Wilson mirrored her teammates’ ball movement across the floor as she shuffled from one side of the paint to the other. Guard Doniyah Cliney received a pass and immediately spotted Wilson posting up just to the right of the lane. With a lob into Wilson, Florida forward Paulina Hersler abandoned her inside position to take a swipe at the ball.
With 8:19 remaining in the first half, Florida held a 7-5 lead over Colorado. Buffaloes attacker Samantha Nemirov sprinted toward the net and released a hard shot in the direction of UF goalkeeper Haley Hicklen. Hicklen reacted quickly, snagging the ball out of the air for a save.
Nothing about the red and gray courts at Ohio State’s Varsity Indoor Tennis Center resembled home for Florida’s men’s tennis team. Losing the first four points of a dual match was just as strange to the No. 11 program in the nation.
Florida put on a batting exposition on Sunday, defeating UAB 6-0 and South Florida 14-3 at the USF Softball Complex in Tampa to improve its record to 5-0.
In the first round of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships on Friday, Florida’s women’s tennis team defeated Wisconsin in a 5-0 blowout. During the second round of the tournament against Vanderbilt on Saturday, the Gators were on the other end of a shutout.
Grant Holloway pounded his fist against his chest, pumped it repeatedly into the air and fell to his knees in the middle of the Clemson University Indoor Complex, overcome with emotion after his race on Friday.
Florida’s softball team was back in action on Saturday, playing a doubleheader against No. 18 Michigan and unranked Georgia State. The Gators picked up respective victories of 2-0 and 11-0, pushing their record to 3-0.
South Carolina forward Chris Silva attacked the rim, put the ball up and had it swatted back by Florida center Kevarrius Hayes.
On Wednesday, Florida women’s tennis player Josie Kuhlman lost the final set in UF’s match against Oklahoma State, clinching the Cowgirls’ victory. At the first round of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships on Friday, she was an integral part of the Gators’ dominant sweep over Wisconsin.
Only silence traveled with the ball as Michigan senior Alex Knight launched a forehand deep out of play. The error settled Florida junior Alfredo Perez’s comeback victory on the No. 1 singles court and clinched the UF men’s tennis team’s first win over a ranked opponent this season. The crowd in Ann Arbor shut down immediately.
Only two weeks have passed since the Gators gymnastics team saw a 10.0 score on the mats of the O’Connell center. This proved too long for Florida, which ended its home match against Alabama on Friday night with a 10.0 on the floor from senior Kennedy Baker, her third perfect score in the routine in the past two years.
One by one, Illinois State’s players approached the batter’s box.
After senior Josie Kuhlman’s heartbreaking loss on Wednesday to hand the Gators their second loss in a row, coach Roland Thornqvist assured that the team’s level of play would be enough to lead it to victory during the season. At the first meet of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships on Friday, Florida will have an imposing first test to see if those words will ring true.
The Florida lacrosse team has not reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament since 2015.
Last year, the Gators turned to their underclassmen to fill pivotal roles. This year could prove to be similar.
Florida point guard Chris Chiozza has been posting career numbers all season. He’s scoring, rebounding and assisting at his highest rate since he stepped foot in Gainesville four years ago. The Gators men's basketball team has needed all of it in a topsy-turvy 2018 campaign.
Jenny Rowland was all smiles in the Florida gymnastics team’s practice facility Tuesday morning. Her excitement about returning home for the Gators’ sixth match of the season was evident as she laughed and joked with reporters.
Solutions by The State News
