Florida Volleyball Digs In: Inside Gators’ Midseason Turnaround
Despite a rocky start filled with speed bumps, Florida volleyball is firmly back on track. The first season of the Ryan Theis era has certainly been entertaining, with a fair share of ups and downs.
After a blistering 5-2 start through nearly the first quarter of the season, the Gators looked like the same team of old. Landmark victories over No. 3 Pittsburgh and No. 20 Baylor were enough of a résumé to warrant being a mainstay in the top 15 of the AVCA poll. Then, the season began to rip at the seams.
The youth of Ryan Theis’s group showed itself when a ramp up in service errors and miscommunication affected the team on the court. The record started to show the effect of such, as a weekend sweep in Wisconsin derailed Florida’s winning ways.
In the blink of an eye, everything was awry as the Gators dropped the SEC opener loss to Mississippi State at home. Florida’s 5-5 record through the first 10 matches was the worst of any season since 1990. It’s also only the fourth time the Gators started the season .500, with the prior three instances happening within the first decade of the program. The 1990 team finished its season 15-16, with coach Marilyn McReavy resigning to make way for Mary Wise to take over.
Under Wise, the Gators’ worst start came in 2021, going 6-4 to kick off the season. The bad start to the season also ended another display of Wise’s success. Florida fell from the top 25 to become unranked for the first time since Wise took over duties in 1991.
“We had such a tough non-conference schedule that every game’s been a battle no matter what,” Theis said of the adversity Florida has faced. “There’s not going to be a lot of 3-0s on our schedule with this league being this hard, that’s for sure.”
However,the Gators never stayed down. Staring at one of the most important stretches of the season, Florida played its best volleyball of the season. A complete and organized offense led to a run of wins versus No. 25 Missouri, Vanderbilt and at No. 16 Tennessee, leading up to Wednesday’s game against Oklahoma. With wind in its sails at 10-7 and 5-3 in conference play, UF has bounced back in unbelievable fashion.
The connection between setter Alexis Stucky and outside hitter Jordyn Byrd has reached a new high, which pairs well with the evolving chemistry of the team. Key additions have also come through in a monumental way in Theis’s first season.
Aside from the impact of the Texas transfer Byrd, Serbian outside hitter Milica Vidacic has improved from match to match. Although being a late addition and joining the team just a few weeks prior to the start of the season hampered her, the freshman is becoming a significant part of the set-to-set offense. Freshman libero Lily Hayes is also finding her stride, earning SEC Freshman of the Week honors amidst the pressure of starting in a slot where a first-year hasn’t since Elyse Cusack in 2006.
Now, all the developments this team has gone through come to the climax of the season. After a five-set loss to No. 3 Kentucky in the biggest match of the season and of Theis’s infant tenure, the Gators look to get right. Florida has taken the prior four meetings all time against the Sooners (12-6, 4-4 SEC), but can’t overlook a Sooners team that has been on the brink of the top-25 poll multiple times this season.
What follows is a stretch of three road matches, all where Florida is the statistical favorite. One of Florida’s strengths is forcing opponents to hand over serving frequently, boasting a 67.3% sideout mark against No. 16 Tennessee. If the Gators can stay above the elite 65% line inside percentage, a few key road wins may be imminent. That improvement in record and conference standing could see Florida back in the AVCA rankings after a third straight week on the outside looking in.
Time will only tell how the season will pan out. But before the Gators can look ahead to SEC and NCAA tournaments, they’ll have to take it one match at a time. That mentality will start with Oklahoma this Wednesday. First serve is set for 7 p.m. from the O’Dome.
With strong results and a favorable schedule ahead, Theis and the Gators are focused on one thing: staying composed and moving forward.
“When things are not going well, do we take frustration as individuals and radiate amongst the team? And that’s something we recognize and notice,” Theis said.
Listen live to all Florida Volleyball home matches on 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF.
Category: Gator Sports, Gators Volleyball
