Florida freshman libero Lily Hayes was named the SEC Co-Freshman of the Week, earning her first career SEC honor and marking the Gators’ first conference weekly award of the season.
Hayes becomes the 20th player in program history to receive the recognition and the first Florida defensive player to do so since Elli McKissock in 2020.
The Tampa native, who won a silver medal at the 2025 FIVB Girls U19 World Championship, also made history as the first freshman to start in the libero jersey for Florida since Elyse Cusack in 2006.
Her performance this past week cemented her as a defensive force for the Gators. In Friday’s victory over No. 25 Missouri (10–7), Hayes recorded 20 digs, followed by 16 more in Sunday’s win against Vanderbilt (5–10).
She also contributed a career-high four aces and one assist across the two matches, showing her growing impact beyond the back row.
Hayes currently leads the team in digs and ranks seventh in the SEC with 3.65 digs per set, helping Florida secure the second-highest digs per set average, 14.73, in the conference. Her steady presence and early success highlight the crucial role she’s playing in Florida’s defensive identity this season.
The Gators are set for a challenging week ahead with back-to-back ranked matchups on the schedule. First, Florida will travel to Knoxville to take on No. 17 Tennessee (13–2) at the Food City Center’s Thompson-Boling Arena on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
The team will then head to Lexington for a showdown against No. 3 Kentucky (12–2) at the Historic Memorial Coliseum on Sunday at 3 p.m.
Contact Isis Snow at isnow@alligator.org. Follow her on X @isis_snoww.
Isis is a junior sports journalism student and is the volleyball beat reporter for fall 2025. This is her third semester with The Alligator. She enjoys reading, playing basketball and weight lifting in her free time.
