The third ranked Texas Longhorn volleyball team (3-0) comes to Gainesville Saturday to face nationally ranked Florida for the first of two meetings between the two powerhouses this season.
The last time the 11th ranked Gators (3-1) faced the Longhorns, things didn’t go smoothly. In the meeting in the 2012 NCAA Regionals, the Gators fell in straight sets to Texas.
The Gators head into this match following the 2014 edition of the Sunshine State volleyball showdown, in which the Gators fell short in five sets after a gritty battle against eighth ranked Florida State (30-28, 21-25, 25-23, 23-25, 9-15).
But Gator head coach Mary Wise was quick not to let the loss linger for too long.
“It was a great match this early in the season,” Wise said. “Credit Florida State with how well they played in making the plays at the end, but we couldn’t be more proud of our team’s effort. There are lots of positives to take from it; we’ll be a better team down the road from playing in this environment and playing as gritty and tough as we did.”
The Gators do lead the all-time matchup against the Longhorns, 12-7 (12-6 under Mary Wise). Also on their side is a 2010 five-set victory over Texas, the last time these two met in Gainesville.
The Orange and Blue then hit the road to the west coast for a Thursday (9/11) date with 15th ranked San Diego, followed by a meeting with number six Southern California in Trojan territory (9/12).
Saturday’s match is slated to begin at 7:30 p.m.
To hear coach Wise’s comments, click here: