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Post by FloridaPerson on Nov 29, 2004 0:55:52 GMT -5
Less than 5 days to go, got to get started early to pack it all in.
Common opponents - interestingly, St. John's was FAMU's first match, and USF was Florida's.
South Forida - UF sweeps, FAMU wins 3-1
St. John's - both teams sweep St. John's.
Matches vs. seeded teaams
Famu - 1-0 vs. Nebraska
UF - 1-4 vs. Minnesota, Texas, 3xTennessee
2004 matches vs. the field of 64
FAMU - 3-1
UF - 8-4
Pablo -11/22 - FAMU #8(9315), UF#9(9285). FAMU also has HCA.
RKPI - 11/22 - Florida 12, FAMU 27
Key matchups - Balls that come across the net vs. Rachel Engle. Poor Passing vs. McGinnis's setting.
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Post by cbrown1709 on Nov 29, 2004 1:03:58 GMT -5
my nervousness comes in the second match where stanford plays either UF or FAMU. Either sucks for Stanford. Both will be tough to beat!
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Post by Amazon on Nov 29, 2004 2:01:51 GMT -5
Florida will redeem themselves by beating FAMU -- then get hammered by Ogonna!!
GO BEACH !! 2014 CHAMPS BABY!!
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Post by GatorVball on Nov 29, 2004 12:25:38 GMT -5
Just for the record, Florida beat Tennessee the 1st time they faced off, so they were 1-4 against top 12 seeds. No bad losses, a few good wins, their resume is better than the likes of Missouri, UCLA and Wisconsin, who were all seeded. It's horsesh!t. Total and utter crap. Stanford got screwed too, but at least they have an easy 1st round matchup. FAMU and Florida got screwed, Hawaii got screwed. It's all crap. No matter how bad a season Florida had(bad by their standards), it was still worthy of a top 16 seed. When your only losses are to #4, #6 and #12(twice) and 3 of them are in 5, and you are 8-4 against teams in the field, you have the right to bitch when you aren't seeded and/or hosting. Stupid f'n committee.
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Post by volleyballer2 on Nov 29, 2004 12:42:05 GMT -5
Maybe some bad seedings---but if the Gators are good enough we should certainly be able to beat Florida A@M. Yea, maybe we should have had someone easier like Towson, but even they scared us.
This is a direct result of loosing credibilty among fellow coaches. The word travel fast out there. Mary has made some major mistakes and now must play hard and good to make up for them. If she looses first or second round, I believe she will be second guessing her decisions for a long time to come.
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Post by GatorVball on Nov 29, 2004 13:20:18 GMT -5
Maybe some bad seedings---but if the Gators are good enough we should certainly be able to beat Florida A@M. Yea, maybe we should have had someone easier like Towson, but even they scared us. This is a direct result of loosing credibilty among fellow coaches. The word travel fast out there. Mary has made some major mistakes and now must play hard and good to make up for them. If she looses first or second round, I believe she will be second guessing her decisions for a long time to come. Credibility or not, they have a better resume than Missouri, UCLA and Wisconsin, who are all seeded. Makes no sense. |
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Post by FloridaPerson on Nov 29, 2004 13:31:45 GMT -5
yargh, that's right. October seems so long ago after this november.
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Post by tito99 on Nov 29, 2004 13:35:54 GMT -5
both florida and stanford got screwed by florida's lack of seeding...i'm impressed that there hasn't been much complaining from either side. i think that both florida and stanford realize what it's going to take and also that if they do make it out of the regional, they've got a good shot at the Final Four (and florida has a chance at vengeance against texas). i think all the subregionals in this section (with the exception of wisconsin's) are tough--texas will probably face rice who nearly took out minnesota at minnesota and gave hawaii a run for its money for three games in hawaii, and then there are the stanford-famu-florida and hawaii-csu fiascoes...even wisconsin has to take out notre dame who at the beginning of the season took nebraska to 5 (though that was the beginning and nebraska has gotten much better since then)...should make for some wacky results... |
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Post by 808 on Nov 29, 2004 15:34:11 GMT -5
No matter how bad a season Florida had(bad by their standards), it was still worthy of a top 16 seed. I often don't agree with what you say, GatorVball, but in this case I certainly do agree. Florida not being seeded AND not hosting is just not right. If they weren't going to give the Gators a seed, the least they could have done is have them host. Why is FAMU so popular with the committee? |
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Post by 2c on Dec 1, 2004 1:43:44 GMT -5
I often don't agree with what you say, GatorVball, but in this case I certainly do agree. Florida not being seeded AND not hosting is just not right. If they weren't going to give the Gators a seed, the least they could have done is have them host. Why is FAMU so popular with the committee? Didn't the Committee favor FAMU so much by putting them in GaTechs subregional last year?  |
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Post by Barefoot In Kailua on Dec 1, 2004 3:16:56 GMT -5
Like Rodney Dangerfield, No respect for Gators
By Franz Beard
GatorCountry.com
After 14 years of being among the best in the NCAA, not just regionally but on the national scene, the Florida Gators should command some respect. Being in two straight Final Fours including last year's national championship final should mean that Florida's volleyball team would be given consideration at tournament time, especially considering Florida's facilities, record of hosting NCAA events and strong attendance base.
Because the Gators have such a long list of accomplishments in the last 14 years, respect should never be an issue, but apparently, the NCAA thinks otherwise.
Call these Gators the Rodney Dangerfields of the NCAA volleyball tournament because they get no respect.
When the NCAA announced its 64-team bracket for the 2004 volleyball championship Sunday night, the biggest shock of all was how Mary Wise and her Florida Gators were treated. The Gators finished the season 27-4, tied for a fourteenth consecutive Southeastern Conference championship, and those four losses were to teams seeded fourth, sixth and twelfth in this year's big tournament.
Yet for all that, the Gators are traveling in the first round. Even more shocking, Florida, ranked twelfth in the country, isn't even seeded in the top 16 teams.
Florida will open tournament play Friday in Tallahassee against Florida A&M (28-2), which hosts the first two rounds. Should the Gators win the first round match, they will play the winner of Jacksonville and Stanford (24-6), seeded eleventh but unbelievably forced to travel all the way across the country. If the Gators advance through the first two rounds, they have been placed in the regional that will be played in Green Bay, Wisconsin, a regional that includes undefeated, yet strangely third-seeded Hawaii (28-0) and Texas (24-4) a four-game winner over Florida at midseason.
Wise put her best smile on the insult, but she was obviously shocked at the NCAA's treatment of her team.
"It never dawned on me that we would not be a top 16 seed," said Wise at the Lemerand Center where she and her team watched the announcement of the pairings on ESPN News. "It's a surprise and a disappointment, but it's behind us, and now we move forward.
"Playing Florida A&M in the first round is no surprise. Playing Florida A&M in Tallahassee, that kinda caught us by surprise, but that's the way the draw is and now we will work all week preparing for Florida A&M."
Florida A&M is an outstanding team which earlier in the season handed then undefeated Minnesota (Final Four last year, fourth seed this year, 28-4 record) its first loss of the season. FAMU is a team built with international players. There are five from Peru, four from Bulgaria, one from Serbia and another from Germany on its roster. FAMU's head coach, Tanio Trifonov, is from Bulgaria, and his assistant coach, Luis Ramirez, is from Peru.
"We're familiar with Florida A&M in that we played them in the spring," said Wise. "They are a veteran team, a very international flavored team that will be a very tough matchup for us because of what they do well.
"What we're hoping is that we get a whole bunch of our Gator fans that will decide that they would be coming to watch us this weekend, just that they need to come watch us in Tallahassee."
The Gators are coming off two wins in the St. John's Classic in New York where they played a very strong Towson State team in the finals, a five-game match that saw Florida rally from down, 2-1, taking game five on eight straight service points from Marcie Hampton.
"The Towson team was a senior dominated excellent team," she said. "We showed that we could come from behind. There are enough really good things happening with our team."
Senior Lauren Moscovic, who's been to two Final Fours and has never played the first round away from Gainesville, was a bit surprised with the pairings, but like Wise, put her best smile on an awkward and unexpected scenario.
"Hey we look at it like we're just going to Tallahassee, so there's no plane flight and it's just another opportunity to play another excellent team," said Moscovic. "I think we've proven we can play anyone anywhere and at any time. This is just another barrier and we'll just have to overcome it."
Senior middle blocker Sherri Williams added, "It really doesn't matter if we have to travel or not. Whether it's at home or away, we're just out here to win."
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Post by Barefoot In Kailua on Dec 1, 2004 3:20:01 GMT -5
UF VOLLEYBALL
Rattlers await Gators
Florida was surprised to learn its road through the NCAA Tournament starts Friday in Tallahassee.
By BRANDON ZIMMERMAN
SUN SPORTS WRITER
There will be no more matches in the O'Connell Center for Florida's volleyball team this year.
In a season filled with strange twists, the Gators were dealt the most unexpected one Sunday night when the NCAA selection committee announced Florida will open the NCAA Tournament on the road for the first time ever.
The Gators (27-4) will travel to Tallahassee to face host Florida A&M (28-2) Friday at 7 p.m. in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at FAMU's Gaither Gym. The match will be preceded by 11th-seeded Stanford (24-6) facing Jacksonville (15-12) at 5 p.m. The winners of the two matches will face off Saturday at 7 p.m. with a berth to the round of 16 in Green Bay, Wis., on the line.
Florida is making its 14th straight NCAA appearance but did not receive a top 16 national seed for the first time despite a solid resume. Gators coach Mary Wise, who watched the selection show at the Lemerand Center on Florida's campus with her team, was shocked.
"It never dawned on me we'd not be a top-16 seed," Wise said. "It's a surprise and it's a disappointment. But it's behind us now. Now, we go forward."
A look at Florida's credentials shows there is good reason for the Gators to be upset. Florida's four losses came against teams seeded in the top 12 nationally - No. 4 Minnesota, No. 6 Texas and two losses against No. 12 Tennessee. Three of those losses went to a fifth game.
Additionally, the usually soft Southeastern Conference had one of its strongest seasons ever, getting four teams in the NCAA Tournament, including Arkansas and Georgia.
Still, Florida was sent packing.
"It's not as disappointing as it is surprising," Wise said.
Florida's players were also shocked by the draw, including seniors Lauren Moscovic and Sherri Williams, who suddenly face the reality of being unable to play another match in the O'Connell Center.
"Whatever makes us stronger," Williams said.
Moscovic said, "My reaction was just kind of like, 'Wow, we're not hosting.' But we've proven that we can play anywhere at any time. This is just another barrier and we're going to overcome it."
Florida sacrificed four home matches from its schedule earlier this season due to Hurricanes Frances and Ivan. Still, Florida played what it thought was a rigorous non-conference schedule that included top 25 teams Kansas State, Minnesota and Texas.
"A lot of good that did us," Wise said.
The Rattlers, meanwhile, are making their fourth straight NCAA appearance and will face Florida in a re-match of a first-round meeting in the 2001 NCAA Tournament, which the Gators won 3-0 in Gainesville. The Rattlers have stockpiled international talent from Bulgaria, Peru and Germany and feature only one native of the United States on their roster. FAMU, champions of the Mid East Atlantic Conference, has won 27 straight matches.
"Playing Florida A&M to us is not a surprise," Wise said. "But playing Florida A&M the first night in Tallahassee - that kind of caught us by surprise. But that's how they drew it up. So now we'll prepare all week for Florida A&M."
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Post by Barefoot In Kailua on Dec 1, 2004 3:22:38 GMT -5
FAMU to host big dogs for NCAAs
By Randy Beard
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
Tony Trifonov has had his Florida A&M volleyball squad aiming high all season, so learning Sunday that a pair of the game's giants will be sent to Tallahassee for a sub-regional next weekend didn't fluster him.
Stanford, a five-time NCAA champion, and Florida, which finished second in the nation last season, will join Jacksonville as the visiting teams at Gaither Gymnasium Friday and Saturday.
Although Stanford and Florida are ranked among the top-12 teams in the latest poll, Trifonov said his 22nd-ranked Lady Rattlers are looking forward to the possibility of playing both teams. FAMU (28-2) will face Florida (27-4) at 7p.m. in the first round Friday, while Stanford (24-6) will meet Jacksonville (15-12) at 5p.m. The winners will square off Saturday with a trip to the regional in Green Bay, Wis., as the prize.
"I'm surprised that Florida isn't hosting and is coming here. That's two top-25 teams meeting in the first round, but I guess that's what you get by regionalizing," said Trifonov of FAMU's pairing with the Gators.
"If we play our best volleyball, we can advance to the Sweet16. Our goal was to win a national championship. In order for us to do that, we are going to have to get past teams like Florida and Stanford regardless. Whether you are playing them in the first or second round, or the Final Four, it makes no difference to us."
He has reason to be confident. Nebraska (27-1) was made the No.1 in the 64-team field. The Cornhuskers' only loss occurred Sept.10 when the Lady Rattlers stunned Nebraska 3-1 on its home court in the first round of its own tournament.
"We are going in with a victory over the best team in the country," said Trifonov. "That is their only loss for the season. That certainly makes us feel good."
That victory was the launching pad for a school-record 27-match winning streak that FAMU will take into the NCAA postseason.
"We have already played Nebraska, and beat them, so we are a very good team," said co-captain Andreina Ruiz, one of five players from Lima, Peru, on the team. "I know we are a fast team and we play really good defense. I think we can do it."
With Stanford designated the No.11 national seed, Trifonov realizes that the NCAA selection committee is projecting that John Dunning's team will advance out of the four-team field. Thus, the reason the host Lady Rattlers would have to beat a pair of ranked teams in order to move on.
But Trifonov said the fact that Florida and Stanford are teams that emphasize size over quickness provides favorable matchups for his players.
"They are physical but slower teams. We tend to play better with those types of teams, such as Nebraska and Maryland, rather than the faster-paced teams like Georgia Tech," said Trifonov, whose squad lost in the second round a year ago to the Yellow Jackets.
The Lady Rattlers are coming off a weekend tournament in Gulf Shores, Ala., where they swept past Temple and Xavier to set the school record for wins in a season, as well as consecutive victories. FAMU had tied the previous mark of consecutive wins by claiming the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament.
FAMU's only losses this season came in a tournament at East Lansing, Mich., during the first week of September when Ohio University and Michigan State each claimed 3-0 victories. But the Lady Rattlers proved their mettle six days later when they shocked a Nebraska team that was ranked No.2 at the time. FAMU also beat ACC's squads Maryland and North Carolina this season.
Led by junior Adriana Kostadinova and sophomore Maria Andonova - two of four players from Bulgaria - the team leads the country in aces (2.64) and hitting percentage (.378) and is ninth in kills (17.20). Andonova is ranked first in the nation in hitting percentage and fourth in aces. Kostadinova was the MEAC player of the year and the most valuable player at the conference tournament. They were joined on the All-MEAC team by Ruiz and Mariela Portocarrero.
"We are thrilled to host. We never thought that was going to happen in Tallahassee," said Trifonov. "Hopefully we will get a lot of fan support. This is a great opportunity for the city and FAMU."
Nebraska, Penn State, Hawaii and Minnesota are the top four seeds in the tournament, which will conclude at the Long Beach (Calif.) Arena on Dec.16-18.
Florida, which lost in the NCAA finals to Southern Cal last season, is one of five SEC teams in the tournament, joined by Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia and Tennessee. Georgia Tech and Maryland are the only ACC teams in the field of 64.
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Post by Barefoot In Kailua on Dec 1, 2004 3:23:43 GMT -5
I hope the Gators win the sub regional and throw the BS right back at the committee. Come to think of it the Cardinal got screwed too. Well somebody throw BS back at the committee.
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Post by volleyballer2 on Dec 1, 2004 13:42:25 GMT -5
Interesting article about Florida A@M's attitude.
Florida A@M likes playing the slower bigger teams like Florida and Stanford and Nebraska.
I am also very excited about these match ups. Florida, for one, made a very obvious and at best controversial decision to go bigger and slower with their freshman setter. This will be the report card for the Florida Coaches.
A-- if they beat both Florida A@M and Stanford
C--if they beat Florida A@M and loose to Stanford
F--if they do not get to play Stanford.
Sorry about the seemingly un fair commutes but usually in the end the best team wins it all because they have to play the better teams eventually.
Let's stop whining about unfairness and start winning.
World is full of whiners and blamers---if all teams would just go out and play their best with positive attitudes the best prepared and talented TEAMS will win.
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