Gators Return to AVCA Top 25 After Strong Wins Over Oklahoma and Arkansas

Gators volleyball had an incredible streak of 556 consecutive weeks ranked in the AVCA Top 25 poll. That streak ended in early October, when they fell out of the rankings for the first time since 1991.

Since falling out of the Top 25, the Gators spent three weeks unranked. During that stretch, they’ve bounce back, winning five of their last six matches, including a road upset over No. 16 Tennessee.

This week, the Gators (12-7, 7-3 SEC) have returned to the rankings at No. 25 in the AVCA Top 25 poll.

Looking at the big picture of the Gators’ season, many of their losses have come from self-inflicting errors the service line. Under Gators coach Ryan Theis, the team is averaging 7.5 service errors in the last six matches.

Ahead of the Oklahoma matchup last Wednesday night, Theis emphasized the importance of fundamentals, saying the team needs to “serve well” to find consistent success.

Heading into last Wednesday’s match against the Sooners, the Gators were undefeated in the head-to-head series (5-0). They came out strong, taking the first two sets convincingly (25–22, 25–20). Oklahoma battled back to claim the third (26–24), but fueled by the energy of the Rowdy Reptiles, Florida responded with a dominant 25–13 win in the fourth set to seal the match.

Just a few days later, on Sunday night, the Gators opened their three-match road trip at Arkansas, determined to keep their momentum rolling. They did exactly that, earning a straight-set sweep (25–16, 25–22, 25–20) — their first in conference play.

“Arkansas made us earn all points and I was happy to see us hitting efficiently in the first and second sets and get our first conference sweep,” Theis said after the match.

That combination of a home win over Oklahoma and a road sweep at Arkansas helped propel the Gators back into the AVCA Top 25 poll this week.

Next up, the Gators will host SEC rival Georgia on Friday night at 7 p.m., followed by a Sunday matchup against South Carolina at 1 p.m. Both matches will be streamed live on the SEC+ Network.

Category: Gator Sports, Gators Volleyball, NCAA, SEC, Volleyball