Gators News: Track and field, cross country, volleyball and basketball on tap

Friday is finally here and with the end of the week nearing Florida’s sports programs are getting warmed up for a weekend of action.

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Friday is finally here and with the end of the week nearing the University of Florida’s sports programs are getting warmed up for a weekend of athletics action. But first, the results from yesterday’s competition.

The No. 21 women’s tennis team took on the No. 8 Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee yesterday and was unable to seize the win, falling 4-1 for their second loss of the season. Freshman Sara Dahlstrom won her second dual match win in three tries but it wasn’t enough and ultimately the Gators fell to 56-5 all-time against the Seminoles.

Speaking of Tallahassee, today Florida’s cross country team travels to the state capitol for their first meet of the 2021 season in the FSU Winter XC Classic. The men’s team will run an 8,000-meter (8k) race at 9 a.m. EST followed by the women’s 6k competition at 9:30 a.m. EST.

Also on Friday and continuing into tomorrow, the track and field team travels back to Columbia, South Carolina, to compete in this year’s South Carolina Invitational inside the Carolina Indoor Track and Field Complex for their second meet of the season. Saturday’s competition will be streamed live on SEC Network+ beginning at 11 a.m. ET, and it can be watched here.

Saturday, the No. 23 men’s’ basketball team looks to bounce back from a disappointing home loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks against the LSU Tigers on the road. Florida took the first meeting of the season, 73-69, and will need to take the yearly series to remain ranked in the top 25. Tip off is scheduled for 2 p.m. EST and can be watched on ESPN, streamed on the ESPN app and can be heard on Gators Sports Network | XM 382.

Later on in the day, the No. 10 volleyball team hosts the No. 16 Missouri Tigers in the O’Connell Center starting at 8 p.m. EST. Both teams are 8-2 in their SEC-only schedules entering the weekend, with the two schools playing back-to-backs on Saturday and Sunday — the latter is slated to begin at 7 p.m. EST.

Around the Swamp

It’s great to be a Florida Gator!

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