Volleyball Preview: Gators vs. Tennesee SEC Matchup

After Sunday’s close game against the Arkansas Razorbacks, the Gators got a rest for the week before playing another SEC match against Tennessee. The number one ranked Gators look to continue their perfect record by making it 10-0. The game is set for 7:00 tonight. Coverage for the game will be on WRUF starting at 6:50 and will also be on SEC Network.

Staying Perfect

The Gator volleyball team had high expectations heading into the season and have managed to exceed them up to this point. Mary Wise’s team has been able to withstand any hardships. Even when they have looked down, they still managed to pull the game out.

This was shown last Sunday against Arkansas. Going up against a conference rival and one of the best players in the country, Pilar Victoria, the Gators managed to hold them off in five sets. A great team doesn’t always dominate, but always finds a way to win.

Head Coach Mary Wise spoke on each player picking each other up during these games.

https://twitter.com/GatorsVB/status/912049043047636993

The team’s veteran players have stepped up this season as many knew they would. Carli Snyder has been all over the court with a team leading 117 kills and 120 digs so far this season. Another senior, Rhamat Alhassan, has been huge for the offense with 89 kills on the season with 20 coming last Sunday. Alhassan’s 20 kills were a major reason why the Gators pulled out the five-set win against the Razorbacks.

Scouting the Opponent

The Gators welcome a Tennessee team that is 8-3 on the season and 1-1 in SEC play. After losing to Arkansas, Tennessee came back strong against Mississippi State to beat them in four sets.

The Gators did well against Tennessee last year beating them in four sets at home. The Volunteers have also struggled on the road this season, losing their only two away games so far this season.

This Friday night match will be the first of two matches between these two teams. The Gators will head to Knoxville on November 5th to play Tennessee again. The Volunteers will be looking for revenge from last year and in fact, Tennessee will look for their first win since 2012 against the Gators. This will be another winning streak Mary Wise and the team will look to keep.

A player to watch on Tennessee will be Kendra Turner who has 106 kills on the year to go along with her 24 blocks. Turner will be a force to look out for both offensively and defensively.

The game will be on SEC network and covered live on ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM / 850 AM.

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