Florida has three must-win road matches still on its schedule

The Gators are in the tail end stretch of its schedule and will face a must-win sequence of road matchups to end its season. 

To balance out the two top-10 teams that Florida will host, No. 2 Texas and No. 10 Texas A&M, UF will travel to play Arkansas, South Carolina and Ole Miss. The trio are among the bottom dwellers in  the Southeastern Conference, combining for just four conference wins. 

“I think we’re just going to have to work hard, serve hard and keep going into every practice with intention,” said sophomore defensive specialist Bella Lee Wednesday.

After a tough non-conference run that put them at 5-4 to open SEC play, the Gators have been forced to adjust and perform against a difficult SEC lineup. With some of the lightest parts of their conference schedule on the horizon, Florida will have to capitalize.

Arkansas

To open its three-game road stint, the Gators will take on the Razorbacks at 1 p.m. Sunday.  Arkansas (5-15, 1-8 SEC) trails the SEC, struggling both in its non-conference slate and against conference opponents, topping only Ole Miss in five sets.

Arkansas hasn't won since Sept. 26, and it's failed to find its footing all season, getting swept in a third of its losses so far. 

Sophomore setter Kiki Remensperger ranks seventh in the SEC in assists just behind Florida’s Alexis Stucky, averaging 9.32 assists per set. She also leads the team in digs and digs per set, pointing to tendencies of the team to be forced out of system. 

The Hogs rank 14th in the SEC in hitting percentage averaging a .208 hitting clip and they come in last in opponent hitting percentage, allowing a .248 hitting clip.

South Carolina

For the third match of its road stretch, the Gators take on the Gamecocks at 1 p.m. Nov. 2. South Carolina ranks No. 14 in the SEC after also only securing one of its eight conference matches and holding a 7-11 record. It has only beaten Arkansas so far in conference play.

The Gamecocks rank 15th in both hitting percentage and opponent hitting percentage. Defensively, the team is led by sophomore libero Victoria Harris who charts 3.88 digs per set, coming in at seventh in the conference. She was named to the 2024 SEC All-Freshman Team and had four 20-dig matches. 

The Gamecocks are led on the offensive front by junior outside hitter Nia Hall who has amassed 227 points and 208 kills across the season. She is trailed by senior outside hitter Alayna Johnson, charting 185 kills and 214 points. 

Ole Miss

To wrap up SEC regular season play, Florida will face Ole Miss on the road at 2 p.m. Nov. 14. The Rebels have struggled as a team so far this season, barely capturing a winning 10-9 record and sitting at 2-6 in conference. 

However, Ole Miss boasts a plethora of strong individuals that Florida will need to prepare for to secure the necessary win. The Rebels’ junior middle blocker Jordyn Towns and junior outside hitter Shayla Meyer rank in the top five in service aces in the SEC, forcing the Gators to be sharp in serve receive. 

Junior outside hitter Gabi Placide places second in the SEC in points and kills, averaging an impressive 5.28 points per set. The transfer from Northern Colorado has been indispensable for the Rebels all season, and is the major force that Florida will try to contain. 

Ole Miss can also sustain itself in the back row, with senior libero Cammy Niesen ranking second in digs in the conference, totaling 307 digs in the season. 

While each of these matches present their own challenges, with a rigorous SEC schedule to follow their equally as competitive non-conference, the Gators will aim to capitalize on the lighter matches to finish out their schedule.  

Contact Ava DiCecca at adicecca@alligator.org. Follow her on X @avadicecca24.

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