Gators Volleyball Faces Alabama Sunday
Florida volleyball is set to face Alabama Sunday in Gainesville.
This marks the 60th meeting between Alabama and No. 19 Florida, with the Gators taking home 54 wins. Their latest meeting was on Nov. 10 last year at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, with Florida winning 3-0.
The Crimson Tide are in their fourth season under coach Rashnda Reed’s leadership, and they finished the non-conference portion of their schedule with an 8-2 record. They’ve only lost to Cincinnati and UCF.
Florida is in the midst of a three-match homestead to kick off the SEC season after its 3-2 loss to Mississippi State Friday.
The Gators won the first set against the Bulldogs, but dropped the second and third before forcing a fifth set, which they lost 15-9. Florida finished with 52 errors, accounting for 48.6% of Mississippi State’s points. Middle hitter Jaela Auguste was the lone bright spot in UF’s hellish offensive night, notching 16 kills on a .500 hitting percentage.
But maybe it was the day of the week that held Florida back. In an interesting twist, a victory against Alabama would boost the Gators’ record to 5-1 when playing on Sundays this season. The only loss came this week.
In the Gators’ 3-1 loss to Wisconsin Sunday, five players set or tied career highs: Lily Hayes ended with seven assists, Kira Huston with 13 digs, Jordyn Bird with three digs, three blocks (tied) and one assist, Bella Lee with three assists, five digs (tied) and one kill (tied) and Auguste with one assist (tied).
The Gators tend to do well in SEC play with a track record of 25 regular-season titles under former coach Mary Wise, who retired in February. Last season, Florida tied for third in the SEC with Missouri, going 11-5. The Gators hope to secure the title for the first time since 2022.
Auguste and Taylor Parks claimed a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team last season. Auguste also won Freshman of the Year.
First serve is at 1 p.m. Coverage begins on WRUF at 12:45 p.m.
Category: Gators Volleyball, Volleyball
