Florida and LSU meet tonight in very different circumstances.
The No. 9 Gators (8-3, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) are riding a three game winning streak, while the unranked Tigers (5-6, 0-2) are trying to halt a two-match skid.
The former outscored their last three opponents 9-1. The latter are trying to climb out from an 8-5 disadvantage.
Despite the differences between the two SEC foes, LSU boasts one similarity with UF that few other SEC teams can: a dominant middle blocker.
LSU’s star middle is 6-foot-1 sophomore Briana Holman, the SEC’s leader in blocks (73) and second in points (219.5).
Holman will go head-to-head against UF’s 6-foot-4 freshman Rhamat Alhassan, just as she did last year against Florida’s Chloe Mann, the NCAA’s all-time leader in hitting percentage.
In last year’s matchup between LSU and UF in Baton Rouge, La., Mann bested Holman by two kills with 14, but was out-blocked 6 to 2. Ultimately, Florida defeated LSU 3-1.
Coach Mary Wise is looking forward to the matchup.
"(LSU) has one of the best middle’s in the country. She’s a dynamic hitter and blocker who’s just so fast off the floor and hits at angles," she said.
"Last year it was quite the experience to watch her and Chloe (Mann) against each other.
Despite LSU’s 0-2 SEC record and Florida’s 34-5 record against the Tigers all time under Wise, the coach expects a closely contested match.
"LSU is a team that … you can see every match their score is (close). They’ve won a whole bunch of them and have been right there in the others," Wise said on Monday. "So what we hope to do is to be back here a week from today and say that we are a better Gator team than we were a week ago."
Another matchup of importance will be between senior libero Holly Pole and LSU’s defensive specialist Haley Smith. Smith is 6th in the SEC with 180 digs while Pole is 12th with 137.
The senior libero’s main focus is getting better after each match, the same theme Wise has drilled into her players since before the season began.
"There’s nothing that’s really glaring that we need to work on, but it’s a lot of little things that we’re trying to get better at right now," Pole said. "So a couple things with our defense, finding rhythm with our offense, always working on our serving, stuff like that."
Florida is averaging 1.41 service aces per set, good for second in the SEC. LSU is close behind at No. 6 with 1.18 per set.
Through the first nine matches of the season Florida struggled with service errors, averaging 12.7 per match. But since the start of SEC play Florida has improved drastically in that area, tallying just 15 in its last three matches combined.
"Those wins that we had in pre-conference were great and everything, but this is what it’s really about," Pole said. "The SEC is really what matters as far as what we’re concerned with — winning an SEC championship."
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Rhamat Alhassan (1) attempts a block during Florida's 3-0 win against Ole Miss on Sunday in the O'Connell Center.
