Volleyball scrimmages for new season

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Freshman outside hitter Callie Rivers (Winter Park, Fla.) tallied a match-high five kills for the Blue team as the 2007 Florida volleyball Orange & Blue Scrimmage ended in a 1-1 tie on Sunday at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. More than 600 fans turned out to watch the Blue squad take game one, 30-21, before the Orange team stormed back to win the second game, 15-10.



Scrimmage Professional Photo Gallery by Tim Casey

“We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, but we like where we’re headed,” Florida head coach Mary Wise said. “There are a lot of kinks that need to be worked out, but we’re in a good place for this point in the season.”

Rivers’ eight points were also a match-best, and she added four digs, two block assists and a pair of aces. Senior outside hitter Marcie Hampton (Gainesville, Fla.) and freshman opposite hitter Lauren Bledsoe (Long Beach, Calif.) paced the Orange with four kills apiece, while Bledsoe added a pair aces and a block assist to lead the team with 6.5 points.

Senior setter Angie McGinnis (Fraser, Mich.) recorded a match-high 14 assists to go along with four digs and two block assists in a solid all-around effort. Sophomore setter Alli Cecchini (Brentwood, Calif.) also displayed her versatility on Sunday, posting 13 assists, leading all players with five digs and helping out on a pair of blocks.

The Gators will open the regular season on Aug. 24 when they travel to Normal, Ill., to take on Illinois State on the first leg off a campaign-opening road trip that will also send them to Notre Dame on Aug. 26. Both matches will be televised on Sun Sports and broadcast over the radio waves on WRUF 850 AM. UF will make its 2007 home debut on Aug. 31 against Georgia Southern and North Carolina State on the first day of the Campus USA Credit Union Invitational.