Florida Volleyball’s Two New Roster Additions

The Florida volleyball team has a standard it sets, consistently performing at a high level every year. However, injuries plagued the 2023 season, as the Gators lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Now, the Gators are looking to the future.

Coach Mary Wise announced the team will be adding Erin Engel and Bella Lee to the roster.

Engel is a graduate transfer from the University of Maryland and Lee is a freshman commit. Both players are Florida natives.

Engel’s Past

Engel played her last three seasons at Maryland.

She comes to the Gators as a seasoned setter who played in all 32 matches for the Terrapins last season. Engel was tied for team lead with 0.29 aces per set and finished second with 31 service aces — both career-best marks.

She performs well off the court as well, receiving 2022-23 Academic All-Big Ten honors. With the help of Engel, Maryland finished 17-15 in 2023, an improvement from the past season.

“I chose the University of Florida because of the unique opportunity to receive a Masters from one of the top institutions in the country while playing volleyball at the highest level. I am super excited to come back home for my last year and to be a Gator.”

Returning home to the sunshine state ☀️

Welcome to Gator Nation, Erin! #GoGators pic.twitter.com/2YT4FtKH0V

— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) February 26, 2024

Lee’s Past

Lee is a freshman commit from Tampa and joins the roster as a defensive specialist. She has an impressive high school resume that includes ranking No.1 in Florida for the 2023 season in digs.

Lee was named to the 2022 Max Preps Underclassman All-American Team and ranked No. 1 in the state of Florida and No. 2 nationally for most digs in the 2022 season. She was a three time All-American for her club team.

Lee was on the 2023 USA Volleyball Team Florida and the 2023 USA Volleyball All-Tournament Team.

“I chose Florida for the amazing coaching staff and how much I loved the girls on the team. I knew that Florida would give me the competitiveness that I was looking for, and I would be able to compete at the highest level … I am looking forward to growing and getting better with the coaching staff.”

Staying in her home state 🐊

Welcome to Gator Nation, @Lee6Bella! #GoGators pic.twitter.com/CIKB9NrdHw

— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) February 26, 2024