September 24, 1998

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Over 3,000 Gators fans were silent early on "Roudy Crowd Night" at the O'Connell Center, but #21 Florida State's upset bid of #9 Florida (9-2) fell short as the Lady Seminoles (8-4) fell 15-5, 8-15, 11-15, 10-15.

Florida State dominated game one, sprinting out to a 5-0 margin behind the blocking of Susan Hawks and the hitting of Aisha Thornton and Jennifer Werrick. Holly Schneider's 6 kills helped push the Lady Seminoles' lead to 14-2. Florida fought off four FSU game points, but a hitting error by the Gators gave Florida State the first game 15-5.

Roles reversed in the second game as Florida opened up with a 6-0 edge, but the Lady Seminoles nibbled away at the UF lead. A quick tip by Thornton caught the sideline for an FSU point to tie the game at 8-8. But the Gators halted the FSU charge behind four kills and two blocks from Heather Wright. Up 11-8, Florida battled through 12 sideouts before posting four points to take game two 15-8.

Control seesawed in the pivital third game as UF took an early edge, but FSU rallied to score six straight points off the serve of Fiona Bolten to go ahead at 8-6. Three Gator points off the serve of Jenny Manz evened the score at 9-9. The Lady Seminoles failed to capitalize on six Gator service errors in game three as Florida held off FSU behind strong net play to win 15-11.

The Lady Seminoles held a small edge at 4-2 to start the fourth game, but Manz's serve again proved difficult for Florida State. Florida scored 6 consecutive points with the junior behind the line to take a 8-4 lead. The Tribe used pinpoint kills to close to within two, but hopes were soon dashed when Thornton went down with a left ankle sprain. The Gators took advantage of the hole at the net to outlast FSU for a 15-10 game four victory to win the match.

"We played right with them throughout the match," said head coach Cecile Reynaud after the match, "but we were really our own worst enemies at times.

"On paper it looks pretty close," said Reynaud. "It's exciting to be close but certainly disappointing to lose."

Three FSU players posted double-doubles on the night. Washington led the Noles with 14 kills and 20 digs; Bolten tallied 50 assists and 19 digs; Schneider totaled 14 kills and 17 digs; and Thornton notched 10 kills, a career-high 12 digs, and 7 blocks before leaving in the fourth game. By team, Florida edged the Lady Seminoles .169 to .158 in hitting percentage and 14 to 12 in total blocks. FSU led in digs 85-79.

Florida State continues play on the road this weekend as it opens ACC action at Clemson Saturday at 6:00 p.m. then on to Georgia Tech Sunday at 4:00 p.m.