Sept. 12, 1999

The Tar Heels stood toe-to-toe with the sixth-ranked Florida Gators for the first two games of Friday's match before eventually falling 3-1 in the InnTowner Invitational in Madison, Wisc.

Florida led in the first game of the match 3-0, until UNC battled back to tie the game on two occasions. The game was tied at 11 before Florida was able to close it out 15-11. Game two, however, was a solid win for the Tar Heels. After being tied at two, UNC twice took a seven point lead before winning by eight. Carolina out hit Florida in that game .357 to .227.

Overall, junior Casey Simpson led the Tar Heels with 12 kills and 11 digs to lead the Tar Heels in both categories on the night and record her first double-double of the season. Seniors Tori Seibert and Shannon Smith followed with 11 and 10 kills respectively and setter Eve Rackham led in assits with 36.

Florida was led by Jenny Manz who tallied 17 kills and 16 digs to lead all players in the match. Florida's record now stands at 5-2, while the Tar Heels drop to 2-3. Both teams now await the outcome of the Wisconsin-Dayton match with the Gators playing the winner in the 7 p.m. (CST) Championship Match and UNC facing the loser in the Consolation Match at 4:30 p.m. (CST) tomorrow.

               Game 1   Game2   Game 3   Game 4   
North Carolina   11      15        5        2   
Florida          15       7       15       15