Florida will host Mercer, Jacksonville and Mercer in the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Just over 24 hours after winning the 2021 American Athletic Conference Tournament<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_news_2021_5_8_lacrosse-2Daac-2Dtournament-2Dchamps-2Dgators-2Ddominate-2Dowls-2Dto-2Dclinch-2Dtournament-2Dchampionship.aspx&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=1I8UvOaJUYYlmjQe8wRE43tMroOWl64HrwFoj2LR-1I&s=yDDKF3EsDr3v76PaliMjHVb9GF_QBIbdXgd10fK3PbQ&e= >, the Florida women’s lacrosse team received the sixth overall seed and earned hosting rights in the NCAA Tournament first and second rounds.
The Gators extend their streak to 10-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, dating back to 2011.
No. 6 seed Florida will face Mercer at 4 p.m. on Friday, May 14 at Donald R. Dizney Stadium, followed by a matchup between Jacksonville and Vanderbilt at 6:30 p.m. The winners of each game will face off on Sunday, with opening draw slated for 12 p.m.
UF enters the NCAA Tournament riding a 13-game win streak, going undefeated in conference play. The Gators are 2-1 against the Gainesville field and have gone 5-2 against the overall tournament field in the 2021 campaign.
Florida has not faced the Mercer Bears this season, but the Gators took on both Vanderbilt and Jacksonville in 2021. The Gators defeated Vanderbilt in both matchups this season, outscoring the Commodores 39-16. In the only meeting between Florida and Jacksonville this year, the Dolphins edged out the 12-11 win.
UF enters the 2021 NCAA Tournament with an 8-9 record all-time in NCAA Tournament team.
The Gators swept both the American Athletic Conference regular season championship, as well as the tournament championship, and boast the AAC tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, Brianna Harris. Florida took home all six major AAC postseason awards: Grace Haus (Attacker), Shannon Kavanagh (Midfielder), Sarah Reznick (Goalie), Cara Trombetta (Defender), Danielle Pavinelli (Freshman) and Coaching Staff of the Year. UF also had 10 All-Conference selections – six First Team members and four Second Team honorees.
Records
Florida (16-2, 10-0 AAC)
Mercer (7-7, 2-2 SoCon)
Jacksonville (11-1, 3-0 ASUN)
Vanderbilt (12-6, 7-3 AAC)
Scouting the Gainesville Field:
Mercer | 7-7 overall, 2-2 Southern Conference
* The Bears earned the SoCon’s automatic bid after upsetting both 2-seed Coastal Carolina (13-11) and 1-seed Furman (14-13)
* Florida and Mercer have not faced off in program history
* Notable: This is the third-straight season the Bears have won the conference championship, leading to its previous two NCAA appearances. Mercer is 0-2 in NCAA Tournament history
* Notable: Mercer had six athletes named to the SoCon All-Conference Team (First Team – 3, Second Team – 2, All-Freshman Team – 1)
Jacksonville | 11-1 overall, 3-0 ASUN
* The Dolphins earned the ASUN’s automatic qualifier after defeating both Stetson and Liberty in the tournament
* Florida is 0-1 against Jacksonville this season
* The Gators lead the all-time series 9-1
* Home: 4-0 | Away: 5-1 | Neutral: 0-0
* Last Meeting: March 13, 2021 | Jacksonville, Fla. | L, 11-12
* Notable: This will be the seventh trip to the NCAA Tournament for the Dolphins, with JU sitting at a 1-6 record in tournament play
* Notable: The Dolphins finished the regular season ranked 17th in the IWLCA poll
Vanderbilt | 12-6 overall, 7-3 AAC
* The Commodores earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after finishing second in the American Athletic Conference
* Florida is 2-0 against the Commodores this season
* The Gators lead the all-time series: 12-2
* Home: 7-1 | Away: 4-0 | Neutral: 1-1
* Last Meeting: April 18, 2021 | Gainesville, Fla. | W, 22-9
* Notable: This is the seventh NCAA Tournament for the Commodores and first appearance under Beth Hewitt. Vanderbilt is 2-6 in its previous six trips
* Notable: Vanderbilt had seven athletes named to the AAC All-Conference Team (First Team – 4, Second Team – 3)
Numbers of Note:
* 120: Florida is 120-5 when facing teams not ranked in the IWLCA poll
* 106: UF is 106-19 in the confines of Donald R. Dizney Stadium
* 19: The Gators’ school record for wins in a season. UF is three wins away from tying that record in 2021
* 10: Regular season conference championships for Florida in 12 seasons (2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014 in the ALC; 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018 in the BIG EAST; 2019, 2021 in the AAC)
* 9: Conference tournament championships for the Gators – including seven-straight: (2012 & 2014 in the ALC; 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018 in the BIG EAST; 2019, 2021 in the AAC)
* 5: NCAA Quarterfinals berths for the Gators since the program started in 2010 (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 & 2018)
* 2: Tewaaraton Top-25 Nominees<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_news_2021_4_22_lacrosse-2Dtwo-2Dgators-2Dnamed-2Das-2Dtewaaraton-2Dtop-2D25-2Dnominee.aspx&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=1I8UvOaJUYYlmjQe8wRE43tMroOWl64HrwFoj2LR-1I&s=KuaMceWdHMwQPpGC0ZoP4TOYtRXHanIxE-yJbeBwFUY&e= > – Shannon Kavanagh and Cara Trombetta
* 1: Final Four berth for the Orange & Blue in 2012
Top Eight Seeds:
1. North Carolina
2. Northwestern
3. Syracuse
4. Boston College
5. Notre Dame
6. Florida
7. Duke
8. Stony Brook
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