The Florida Gators continue to impress in the 2011 NCAA Volleyball Tournament. The Orange and Blue returned home to the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, accompanied by three teams from the Big Ten in the Gainesville Regional. Michigan was first up, and Florida quickly dispatched the Wolverines with a three set sweep (25-21, 25-13, 27-25). The Gators were led by seniors Kelly Murphy and Kristy Jaeckel, who led the team with 17 and 14 kills, respectively. Murphy added 21 assists and 10 digs for a 29th career triple-double. Former Eastside Ram and Jeffrey Meldon TV20 Scholar Athlete of the Year Chloe Mann continued her superb second half of the season, with eight kills on 15 swings. Junior Betsy Smith added seven kills on the match.

The Gators will face three-seed Illinois in the Elite Eight, who beat Ohio State in four sets (23-25, 26-24, 25-23, 25-19). Florida faces ex-Gator Colleen Ward, who had 15 kills on the match.

Meanwhile, Florida State advanced to their second Elite Eight in the past three years, knocking out Purdue in four sets (25-23, 21-25, 25-20, 25-19). The Seminoles will face Iowa State, where the winner will move on to the Final Four.