Back at the O’Dome for its second contest this season, Florida volleyball will return to a home crowd after a successful start to the season on the road.
The Hurricanes (0-4) will take a swing at the No. 10 Gators (4-1) in Wednesday night’s ACC/SEC Showdown at the Net at 8 p.m.
Thus far, Miami has only faced unranked opponents – and fell short every time. Its last three losses were sweeps against UCLA and Michigan.
This week, Florida volleyball entered the top 10 in the AVCA/TARAFLEX rankings for the first time since 2024. Head coach Ryan Theis, in his second year with Florida, has assembled an admirable roster with plenty of high-end talent to rotate on the court.
Senior outside hitter Kamryn Chaney recorded a career-high .786 hitting percentage against Baylor, becoming the first Gator to hit over .750 with at least 10 attempts since 2019. The Vanderbilt transfer has seamlessly meshed well with her teammates, starting off the season on a high note and holding the team-high in kills (60).
Junior outside hitter Selena Leban, with 47 kills so far, is also a front-runner for Florida’s offense. For the team, she sits in the top-five performers for kills, assists, service aces, digs and blocks. A jack-of-all-trades, Leban is a key component of the Gators’ resilience.
Against Miami, the Gators will have to stay peeled for redshirt junior setter Ariana Rodriguez – who has anchored the court and leads the team with 10.50 assists/set. The Hurricanes also have sophomore outside hitter Asia Harvey, who has tallied 53 kills so far this season. She has also been consistent in the back row, contending with redshirt senior libero Gaby Arroyo in digs – sitting at 23 and 22 apiece.
To keep up with Florida’s relentless attack, Miami will need more consistent defense from its back row, especially with the Gators defense holding strong through the season so far. UF’s sophomore libero Lily Hayes ranks fifth in the SEC in digs heading into Wednesday’s contest.
To aid their back row, the Hurricanes will need a strong blocking front. So far, their wall has been anchored by freshman middle blocker Denitsa Angelova. She has 11 blocks to her name already this season, but they may need even more from her to keep up with Alec Rothe and Brooklyn Briscoe in the middle, not to mention the aforementioned pin hitters.
For the Gators, the junior middle blocker Rothe has recorded a total of 24 blocks and 40 kills. Against Wisconsin, she recorded a career-high 11 blocks, the seventh-most by a player in the NCAA this season.
Senior middle blocker Brooklyn Briscoe has also performed rather well. She sits at 14 total blocks and 25 kills, working alongside Rothe to strengthen Florida’s defense.
So far this season, the Gators have been a stable and dominant force. Unforced errors – on the serving and attacking fronts – have allowed opponents to steady the pace against Florida. But if the Gators can dictate the tempo against Miami, this should be another one in the win column for Theis and the Gators.
Contact Nicole Scura at nscura@alligator.org. Follow her on X @NicoleScuraa.
Nicole Scura is a junior journalism student in her third semester at The Alligator. She is currently a volleyball beat reporter and previously served as hockey beat and enterprise reporters. In her free time she enjoys figure skating, traveling and watching football (Go Bucs!).
