Florida Volleyball Jumps Back to No. 5 in AVCA Poll

Florida volleyball (15-2, 6-1 SEC) left the Lone Star State with two SEC victories and a jump to No. 5 in the AVCA rankings.

The Gators moved up two spots from No. 7, getting back to the top five after a 3-1 loss to Vanderbilt on Oct. 11.

On Sunday, Florida took a thrilling five-set victory over No. 12 Texas (9-7, 5-3), winning 21-25, 25-16, 24-26, 25-23, 15-11 to hand the Longhorns their first home loss of the season at Gregory Gymnasium in Austin.

Florida’s offense led the way, with career performances from Taylor Parks and Alec Rothe. Rothe was named SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week, her first SEC honor.

The Gators put down 72 kills on the Longhorns, including a career-high 17 from Rothe. Kamryn Chaney also had 17 kills, and Logan King added 16. Parks had a career-high 59 assists and hit .571.

The Gators had beaten Texas A&M (11-8, 4-3) two days earlier, on Friday, 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 25-17, 25-16). Florida put up 44 kills, led by Chaney’s 12.

Florida is second in the SEC with eight matches left before the SEC Tournament on Nov. 23.

Florida hosts LSU (8-9, 3-5) on Friday at 7 p.m., with coverage on WRUF starting at 6:45 p.m.

Category: Gator Sports, Gators Volleyball