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The Florida Gator volleyball team is headed to Lansing, Michigan this weekend for the Spartan Invitational hosted by Michigan State.
After going 1-1 in their first two games, the #7 Gators are looking to continue to adjust to their new team dynamic. In the offseason, Florida lost five of its seniors who led the team to the Elite Eight in the 2015 NCAA Championships. They also have nine new players, eight of them being freshmen. Head coach Mary Wise said that she is happy with the team’s effort and willingness to work hard outside of practice.
In Oregon, last weekend, Florida lost to #1 Nebraska, the defending national champions and won against the Oregon Ducks. After the matches, Wise said that the team can learn a lot from both their win and loss.
The votes are in and @GatorsVB's comeback vs Oregon is your #NCAAVB Play of the Week! pic.twitter.com/jIyDGHk5cP
— NCAA Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) August 30, 2016
This weekend, Florida will play three matches in the Invitational. On Saturday, the Gators will face Central Michigan and Morgan State, whom they have never played before. Sunday, they will play the hosts, Michigan State.
The Gators are led by the powerful junior hitters, Rhamat Alhassan and Carli Snyder, and their lone senior, Alex Holston. With 18 players on the roster, Florida will also rely on its depth on the bench to help this weekend.
Saturday’s games against Central Michigan and Morgan State will start at 10:00 AM and 4:30 PM, respectively. The game against Michigan State Sunday will be at 3:30 PM.
