Florida Gator Sports Updates and Previews

All feels right with the world in Gainesville. The weather is changing and Gators’ sports are back. This weekend is packed with action, such as volleyball, football, soccer, and updates on the finale of the cross country season.

Football

A Halloween matchup is set to take place in the Swamp on Saturday. The Florida Gators (2-1) will be taking on the Missouri Tigers (2-2) at 7:30 p.m.

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The Gators are coming off a two-week hiatus due to some positive COVID tests throughout the team. Florida’s last matchup was the devastating loss on the road to Texas A&M, 41-38. And Missouri is coming off a home win against Kentucky, 20-10.

A cool Halloween night, a full moon, and the first non-noon game for the Gators this season. Another interesting piece of information for the fans in attendance, Gator great Jack Youngblood, will be Mr. Two Bits for the game. Should be an electric atmosphere.

Volleyball

The undefeated Gator volleyball team faces Alabama tonight in the O’Connell Center at 7 p.m and on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Gators are ranked number four in the country.

Florida’s volleyball team is 2-0 on the season, defeating Auburn twice without dropping a set. Alabama volleyball is coming off two losses to Missouri at home.

Head Coach Mary Wise talks about how this season feels different from the preparation and protocols that the team has gone through. But when the first ball is served, it’s on.

 

Gator volleyball has been led by the outside hitter T’ara Ceasar. She is a red-shirt Junior who transferred from Georgia. Ceasar leads the team with 23 kills on the season. Another helpful piece to the team is the setter Marlie Monserez, a Junior who leads the team with 62 assists.

Soccer

If Volleyball doesn’t tickle your fancy, Gator soccer host Tennessee (2-3-1) tonight at 6 p.m. The team is 1-3-1 on the season and is hoping to break its three-game losing streak. This will also be the team’s home finale for the season.

In the last match against South Carolina, the Gators were short-handed because of injuries and COVID, missing seven players. Florida lost 2-4 but there are also advantages to the lack of players. Head coach Becky Burleigh notes that the bench goes deeper because of the lack of players.

With this experience, depth is created on the team. Not too many other circumstances would Becky have to create these lineups. So far, the team is led in points by Madison Alexander, with four on the season.

Cross Country

The Gator women and men’s cross country teams finished their seasons today in Baton Rouge at the SEC Cross Country Championship. The women’s team finished ninth overall and the men’s team finished seventh.

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The women’s team was led by Freshman Vasileia Spyrou, who ran 6,000-meters in 20:42.3, finishing 17th overall. Spyrou is coming off two events where she had the best finishes of any Gators.

The men’s team was led by Junior Trevor Foley, who ran the five miles in 24:19.2, finishing 13th overall. Foley has also led the Gators in their last two events. A challenging and at times, uncomfortable season, the Gators were persistent and finished strong.