Coming off a five-set victory at then-No. 12 Texas to close a four-match road trip, No. 5 Florida volleyball returns to the O’Connell Center for a pair of contests starting with unranked LSU at 7 p.m. Friday.
Florida (15-2, 6-1 SEC) moved up two spots to No. 5 in the latest AVCA rankings.
The Gators battled against Texas in winning 21-25, 25-16, 24-26, 25-23, 15-11. Florida finished with a season-high 72 kills and 68 assists while hitting .287. The Gators also held advantages in service aces, 7-4, and digs 64-61.
The victory marked Florida’s sixth win against a ranked opponent this season, its most since defeating seven ranked teams in 2017. It also improved the Gators to 2-1 in five-set matches this season.
However, the win didn’t come easy, as the Gators had to fight hard for a comeback after the third set.
“That’s kind of what we said after the third set — we missed a few too many opportunities in the third,” UF coach Ryan Theis said. “We had a lead, lost it, and so we were going to need some grit. That’s exactly what they showed in four and five.”
Junior middle blocker Alec Rothe also delivered a career performance against Texas, recording 17 kills and 21 points while hitting .419. Her performance during Florida’s trip in the lone star state earned her SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Rothe is fourth in the SEC with 80 total blocks and ranks eighth in hitting percentage at .442.
The Gators are a perfect 7-0 at home this season and sit second in the SEC standings with eight conference matches remaining before the SEC Tournament begins Nov. 20.
Florida will need to maintain its balanced attack and defensive presence against LSU (8-9, 3-5) as it looks to keep pace near the top of the conference. The Gators have surpassed 10 team blocks in nine matches this season, making their performance at the net another key factor heading into Friday.
With momentum from three road wins and a return to the top five, Florida will look to protect its home court and continue building toward the postseason. Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. on 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF with first serve is set for 7 p.m. on the SEC Network+.
UF then entertains the Ole Miss Rebels at 1 p.m. Sunday.
