The Gators hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament over the weekend, welcoming Florida Gulf Coast, Florida A&M and Iowa State to Gainesville. No. 12 Florida rammed through FAMU and Iowa State in straight sets to advance to the round of 16.
No. 12 Florida swept the Iowa State Cyclones in the second round of the NCAA tournament to advance to the round of 16. The Gators will travel to Madison, Wisconsin, to play the Pittsburgh Panthers next Thursday, Dec. 8.
No. 12 Florida advanced past the first round of the NCAA Tournament with a victory over the Florida A&M Rattlers in straight sets Friday night. Sophomore middle blocker Gabrielle Essix led the way for UF with eight kills and a hitting efficiency of 63.6%.
The No.12 Florida Gators will look to answer that question starting Friday night when they host the Florida A&M Rattlers for the first round of the 2022 NCAA Volleyball Tournament at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
No. 12 Florida clinched a share of the SEC championship Saturday with a five set victory over the Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford, Mississippi. It’s the 25th conference championship for the Gators, who have earned each of them under head coach Mary Wise since 1991.
No. 12 Florida defeated Ole Miss through three sets in Oxford, Mississippi, Friday. Led by junior outside hitter Sofia Victoria’s 13-kill performance, the Gators fired on all cylinders offensively with a .409 hitting percentage — the second time this season Florida’s clip has eclipsed .400.
No. 10 Florida fell to No. 18 Kentucky in three sets Sunday. The Gators were held to a .163 hitting percentage and were unable to send their seniors out of the O’Dome with one more home win.
After a thrilling third-set comeback jolted the crowd of 3,361 out of its seats, junior libero Elli McKissock put the cherry on top with a service ace. No. 10 Florida avenged last year’s three-set loss in Lexington with a sweep of the No. 18 Wildcats at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Saturday afternoon.
“I have to do this. I have to go back. So, here I am.” Caroline Knop could not refuse Mary Wise’s offer to return to UF as her volunteer assistant coach. This season “CK” has become an integral part of Wise’s staff as Florida builds up its young squad.
Florida defeated the Texas A&M Aggies in four sets Saturday afternoon. The Gators extended their conference win streak to five games and their overall record against the Aggies to 21-1.
The No. 12 Gators defeated the Missouri Tigers in three sets (25-22, 25-17, 25-23) while holding the visitors to a .144 hitting percentage. Florida’s outside hitter duo of senior Marina Markova (16 kills) and Beason (13) led the way for UF offensively.
After a sluggish start where Arkansas owned the opening frame, No.14 Florida outlasted the Razorbacks in five sets. The Gators had three players record double-digit kills, with senior outside hitter Marina Markova leading the group with 17. Junior outside hitter Sofia Victoria tied her season-high with 16 and sophomore outside hitter Merritt Beason tallied 12.
No. 14 Florida’s three set sweep (25-20, 25-20, 25-21) over Arkansas at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Saturday afternoon kept UF atop the Southeastern Conference standings. The Gators are now 23-0 all-time against the Razorbacks at the O'Dome.
No.14 Florida defeated the Auburn Tigers through three sets (25-23, 25-18, 25-15) to get back into the win column Wednesday and to keep the top spot in the Southeastern Conference. The Gators defense held the Tigers to a .112 hitting percentage on the way to earning the team’s 10th straight win against Auburn.
No.11 Florida was defeated by Georgia in three sets (22-25, 23-25, 20-25) Wednesday night. The Gators struggled, posting a .090 hitting percentage and failing to adjust to the Bulldogs’ waves of points.
No.13 Florida swept the Mississippi State Bulldogs in three sets (25-19, 25-19, 25-22) for the second time this weekend Saturday.
No.13 Florida sweeped the Mississippi State Bulldogs in three sets (25-18, 25-22, 25-19) Friday. Florida extended its overall record against the Bulldogs to 54-1, while staying undefeated in 27 trips to Starkville, Mississippi.
Class of 2024 outside hitter Lauren Harden announced her verbal commitment to Gators volleyball via Instagram Tuesday.
For a moment Sunday afternoon, it seemed the Louisiana State Tigers had solved the riddle of the Florida Gators. Down two sets to none, the Tigers stormed back to force a winner-take-all fifth set. The No. 15 Gators claimed the 15-point finale to win their second game of the weekend (25-18, 26-24, 25-27, 21-25, 15-9) against LSU.
The Florida faithful still packed the house to the tune of 3,584 to watch their No. 15 Gators defeat the Louisiana State Tigers three sets to one (25-18, 23-25, 25-19, 27-25) Saturday evening. Head coach Mary Wise said it’s the first home match played on a homecoming Saturday in at least 33 years.
Solutions by The State News
