Florida volleyball has just reached its latest stop on the road of rankings: No. 5. Florida is up two spots in the latest AVCA top 25 poll, released Monday, after snagging two season-defining wins against No. 11 Tennessee on Friday and No. 3 Kentucky on Sunday.
Florida swept Tennessee (25-22, 25-18, 25-23) to bump its winning streak up to nine. The Gators closed Friday night out with 43 kills, eight blocks and four aces.
Forty-eight hours later, the Gators turned the heat up another notch.
Florida not only took Kentucky to five sets, but it went on to win the match (22-25, 29-27, 25-21, 21-25, 15-8) for its 10th straight win. Kentucky had not gone to a fifth set all season, and the loss snapped the Wildcats’ 29-match SEC regular-season winning streak.
Offensively, Logan King led the Gators against Tennessee with 15 kills and three of the four aces. King was named SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season following Friday’s and Sunday’s performances.
Florida’s Kamryn Chaney paved the attackers’ way against Kentucky. Chaney had 22 kills to go with a .250 hitting percentage for the night. Brooklyn Briscoe, Alec Rothe and King followed suit with eight kills apiece.
As a team, Florida hit .226 against Kentucky’s .133.
The rankings do not define a team, but it still means something.
On Oct. 6, 2025, Florida volleyball fell out of the AVCA poll for the first time since 1991.
Gator great Mary Wise’s first season coaching Florida was 1991. Through 34 seasons with Wise, the Gators did not leave the AVCA poll.
Following Wise’s retirement, coach Ryan Theis took over and ended the 2025 season 16-12.
This season, Florida is 12-1 overall and 3-0 in conference play. Georgia and Texas A&M share the top spot in the conference with their own 3-0 records.
But fans should not storm the streets just yet.
Florida just crossed the halfway mark of its regular season with game 13 on Sunday against Kentucky. Florida has 12 games remaining before the SEC Tournament.
Looking to the next competitor, Florida plays again Friday at 8 p.m. in Columbia against unranked Missouri (8-7, 1-2 SEC).
