After finishing up a three-match road trip, Florida will come back to Gainesville to play its final two regular-season matches before ending the year with another three-match road trip.
Depending on whether or not the No. 1 Gators (22-1, 15-0 Southeastern Conference) host an NCAA Tournament match, these could be the last home appearances for UF this season.
The Gators will take on Mississippi State (11-15, 3-12 SEC) Thursday in the O’Connell Center at 7 p.m. The team is coming off a close 3-2 (25-23, 18-25, 21-25, 25-23, 15-11) victory against Auburn.
“As much as that was scary and stressful and brought so much anxiety, we needed that,” senior middle blocker Lauren Bledsoe said. “The tournament is infamous for crazy things happening, so it’s nice to get a little piece of that before we even get into the tournament. As much as it sucked to have it get that close and have it be that stressful, it was really an eye-opening experience.”
Florida’s final regular- season home match will be against Alabama (10-15, 2-13) on Sunday at 1 p.m. For Bledsoe, senior libero Erin Fleming and senior outside hitter Callie Rivers, this might be their final showing in front of Gators fans.
“I’m excited. I’m sure it will be a little sad, but I think it’ll be good to see my family,” Bledsoe said. “It’ll be hard because it will be an emotional thing, but I’ll be trying to stay focused on the game at the same time, so who knows what’s going to happen?”
For Bledsoe, only an SEC and national championship are left to make this year a dream season.
“It’s going exactly as planned. It couldn’t have gone any better,” Bledsoe said. “This is the perfect way to go out for a senior year, so far.”
The Gators are ranked No. 1 for the fifth consecutive week, matching the school record set when the Orange and Blue were the top-ranked team in 1996.
Much of the team’s success can be attributed to the play of the seniors. Bledsoe ranks fifth in hitting percentage in the SEC and sixth in blocks. Fleming ranks ninth in digs, and Rivers is fourth in service aces.
“Every year we hope that our seniors have their best year their final year — that they can leave on such a high — and no senior class really has done that as well as this group has,” coach Mary Wise said.
“Lauren Bledsoe is finally playing her first complete year as a middle blocker.
“Erin Fleming is our starting libero from a limited defensive specialist role getting periodic play throughout most of her career.
“Callie Rivers, the heart and soul of our team and the team leader, is playing her very best volleyball of her career.”
Sunday will be a bittersweet moment for the three seniors and fans that have watched them in the O’Dome the past four years.
“What we look forward to on Sunday is recognizing their efforts and contributions over the past four years,” Wise said.
