Florida Gators Volleyball
University of Florida volleyball players celebrate their victory following the final point of their match against Florida Gulf Coast University at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville on Nov 30, 2023. [Caleb Ross/WRUF]

Florida Volleyball Plays First Home Top-20 Match

The No. 16 Florida volleyball team will host No. 18 Florida State in the O’Connell Center at 7 tonight. This is the first time Florida will face a ranked opponent at home this season.

https://twitter.com/FSU_Volleyball/status/1836035894639243302

Gator Dominance

In recent years, Florida has prevailed over FSU. Under longtime coach Mary Wise, the Gators are 38-7 against their rival. The Gators have a 45-21 all-time series advantage.

Last year, the Gators completed a comeback to win 3-2 in Tallahassee. After being down 2-1, Florida won the last two sets thanks to the effort of outside hitters Kennedy Martin and AC Fitzpatrick, who combined for a total 47 kills.

Previous Atlanta Matches

Last week, the Gators (6-2) traveled to Atlanta for two midweek matchups. Florida lost (25-19, 25-19, 25-21) to Georgia Tech before blowing out Alabama State (3-5), (25-13, 25-12, 25-11) in a 3-0 win. UF freshmen starters Taylor ParksAlec Rothe and Jaela Auguste all stepped up in the win. Parks had a team-high 24 assists, while Rothe and Auguste combined for nine kills.

 

Although they bounced back against Alabama State, the Gators will need to clean up their act if they want to beat a talented Seminoles (5-1) team. The Gators have been led offensively by UNLV transfer Isabel Martin, who needs to continue to perform with second-team All-American Kennedy Martin out with an ankle injury.

Where to Watch

You can catch the top-20 matchup on ESPN and listen on ESPN 98.1FM/850AM WRUF.

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