No. 18 Florida Volleyball Concludes Conference Play with Two Road Matches
The Gators travels to Columbia, SC on Wednesday to face the Gamecocks before heading to Athens, Ga. on Saturday for their last conference matchup of the season against Georgia.
Match Notes<https://floridagators.com/documents/2024/11/26/Match_Notes_at_South_Carolina.pdf>
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 18 Florida volleyball team concludes conference play with a pair of road matches this week. The Gators head to Columbia, SC for a redemption matchup against South Carolina on Wednesday, Nov. 27. Due to the university’s fall break, the match is slated for 2 p.m. inside the Carolina Volleyball Center. Florida’s Saturday matchup against the Georgia Bulldogs is set for 1 p.m. ET at the Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga.
Both matches will be streamed on SEC Network+ as well as fans can follow @GatorsVB on socials for match updates or via live stats, which can be found on volleyball’s schedule page on FloridaGators.com.
at South Carolina
Date & Time: Wednesday, Nov. 27 | 2 p.m. E.T.
Watch: SEC Network+<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/48407270-4147-4635-987f-bdfa94931a0f>
Live Stats: StatsBroadcast<https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=529059&vislive=fla>
Follow: @GatorsVB<https://x.com/GatorsVB>
at Georgia
Date & Time: Saturday, Nov. 30 | 1 p.m. E.T.
Watch: SEC Network+<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/7713ff47-d5df-4f86-a8ca-f98e39ec7998>
Live Stats: StatsBroadcast<https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=538323&vislive=fla>
Follow: @GatorsVB<https://x.com/GatorsVB>
Series Information
South Carolina
* Series Record 64-11 (56-5 under Wise)
* 3-set: 47-3; 4-set: 13-4; 5-set: 4-3
* Home: 33-2; Away: 29-7; Neutral: 2-1
* Last time out: Oct. 13, 2024 | L, 0-3 | H | 25-21, 25-18, 25-17
Georgia
* Series Record 69-11 (66-3 under Wise)
* 3-set: 49-5; 4-set: 15-3; 5-set: 5-3
* Home: 32-4; Away: 29-4; Neutral: 8-3
* Last time out: Sept. 24, 2023 | W, 3-2 | H | 25-22, 22-25, 22-25, 25-23, 15-11
NCAA Selection Show Dec. 1:
Following their final two regular-season matches, the Gators await their NCAA Tournament fate as the Selection Show is set to air Sunday night at 6:00 p.m. on ESPN.
2024 NCAA volleyball tournament schedule
* Selection show: 6 p.m. ET Sunday, Dec. 1 on ESPN
* First and second rounds: Thursday, Dec. 5 through Saturday, Dec. 7
* Regionals: Thursday, Dec. 12 through Sunday, Dec. 15
* Semifinals: Begin at 6:30 p.m. ET Thursday, Dec. 19 on ESPN
* National championship: 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Dec. 22 on ABC
Florida’s last time out:
* In their last regular-season home match, the No. 20 Florida volleyball team came away with a 3-1 (25-20, 25-18, 20-25, 25-16) senior-day win against UCF on Saturday. The Gators earn their 10th-straight win and improve to a 21-5 overall record, while remaining second in conference play with an 11-3 record.
* AVCA Player of the Year Semifinalist Kennedy Martin recorded her second-straight double-double on Saturday after having 29 kills and 10 digs. The All-American registered a .510 hitting percentage to mark her sixth match of the season hitting above .500 as well as her 48th-consecutive match finishing with double-digit kills. Isabel Martin had back-to-back double-double matches as well, totaling 11 kills and 10 digs in the four setter.
* Setter Taylor Parks’ 53 assists commanded the Gators offense to a .353 hitting percentage to record a four-set career best in the victory.
* In the backcourt, libero Elli McKissock had a team-high 20 digs for her third-consecutive 20-plus match. Junior Emily Canaan was the fourth Gator to finish in double-digits after grabbing 10 digs of her own.
* Florida’s 6.0 team blocks were led by Auguste’s five, while Harden posted a career-high two to finish alongside K. Martin’s two.
* The Gators tied their four-set high of 12 aces, with junior Emerson Hoyle and McKissock leading the way behind the service line with three aces each. Hoyle’s three aces were recorded in the fourth set, dropping back-to-back aces to kickstart the Gators scoring run. Additionally, four names added one or more aces to Florida’s stat sheet: Parks (2), Canaan (2), K. Martin (1) and Isi Martin (1)
On South Carolina (15-10, 6-8 SEC):
* South Carolina volleyball picked up its first conference win of the season by shedding a 36-year-old streak, defeating the Gators on its home court for the first time since 1986 thanks to a straight-set result on Oct. 13. The trio of Oby Anadi, Tireh Smith and Riley Whitesides combined for 30 kills and just five errors to lead the Gamecocks.
* South Carolina, who was projected to finish 12th in the SEC Preseason Poll, currently sits ninth following a sweep loss against Tennessee on Sunday, Nov. 24
* The Gamecocks remain in the middle of the pack in conference rankings. Offensively, their .265 currently ranks 10th, as well as their 12.67 kills per set also sits 10th. Outside hitter Riley Whitesides ranks 5h individually for kills per set (4.47) and points per set (4.90). As a team, SC’s 12.08 assists per set is good for 9th in the league, with setter Sarah Jones being 8th for assists after averaging 9.67 sets per set
* Defensively, the Gamecocks are 10th in aces per set (1.18), 10th in digs per set (12.73) and 13th for blocks per set (1.94). Libero Victoria Harris is the only name for South Carolina ranked defensively, averaging 4.02 digs per set for 7th in the league. Additionally, SC sits 12th in opponent hitting percentage with a .265 average.
On Georgia (10-14, 4-10 SEC):
* In the last meeting between the two teams, Florida came away with a 3-2 win on Sept. 24, 2023. UF grabbed the first set 25-22 after not leading until the 19-18 mark, but Georgia responded with a tightly-contested 25-22 victory in the second set. UGA took the 2-1 match lead after another 25-22 win in the third, but Florida answered with a 25-23 victory in the fourth to go to its third-straight five-set match. The Gators came back from down 6-2 to win the fifth frame 15-11 and move to 10-1.
* Georgia, who was projected to finish fourth in the SEC Preseason Poll, currently sits 13th in the conference. The Bulldogs are coming off a 1-3 loss against Texas A&M on Nov. 22 and are set to play Mississippi State on Nov. 27.
* In conference play, the Bulldogs average 2.44 blocks per set to rank 5th, with middle blocker Sophie Fischer sitting second individually with 1.47 blocks per set. Their 12.50 digs per set is good for 14th in the SEC. Behind the service line, Georgia ranks 6th (1.43 per set), as outside hitter Erykah Lovett is 8th individually with 0.37 aces per set.
* On the offensive side, Georgia ranks 14th hitting percentage (.195), 11th in opponent hitting percentage (.252) and 15th in kills per set (11.97). Setter Clara Brower ranks 7th in the league individually after averaging 9.67 assists per set, while the Bulldogs are 14th as a team with 11.30 in assists per set.
Match Notes Preview: .
* The Gator surge
* Florida is currently on a 10-match win streak, marking the first time since 2021 that Florida has won 10 or more SEC matches in a row. The Gators won 11 conference matches in a row during the spring portion of the 2020-21 season, when the Southeastern Conference announced a spring and fall format due to COVID-19. The spring season served as a continuation to the 2020 fall season with the format consisting of 16 matches against eight opponents and was played as double-header series, consisting of four home weekends and four away weekends. Within the 10 matches, the Gators have averaged a .319 hitting clip, while holding their opponents to a .218 hitting percentage. Behind the service line, the Gators average 1.73 aces per set. Individually, Kennedy Martin is averaged 7.20 points per set and 6.51 kills per set, while hitting .414 in the win streak. Libero Elli McKissock is averaging 5.00 digs per set and 0.35 aces per set.
* INDY IGNITE SELECTS ISABEL MARTIN IN PRO FEDERATIN DRAFT
* In the Pro Federation Volleyball Draft on Monday Mov. 25, the Indy Ignite selected Isabel Martin as the first pick in the fifth round. The second year of pro volleyball in the United States will begin with seven matches the weekend of January 9-12. The newest PVF team – Indy Ignite – opens its inaugural campaign by hosting the Valkyries.
* KENNEDY MARTIN NAMED AVCA POTY SEMIFINALIST
* Florida volleyball’s Kennedy Martin has been named a semifinalist for the AVCA Division I Player of the Year Award presented by Nike Volleyball, revealed on Nov. 14 by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. Martin is just one of 14 players in the nation to be named to the list.
* The original list of 36 players was released Sept. 20, and the 16 additions were named Oct. 17. Redshirt senior Isabel Martin joined her fellow Gator on the Watch List.
* GATORS IN SEC STANDINGS
* Florida’s 11-3 league record currently sits behind No. 12 Kentucky’s 13-2 record in conference standings. The Gators were projected to finish second in the SEC preseason coaches poll, with No. 14 Texas finishing first and Kentucky third.
* ROAD WARRIORS
* The Gators hold an 8-1 record on the road this season, sitting 6-0 in away matches during SEC play. Florida is aver-aging 13.23 kills per set, 12.46 assists per set, 11.94 digs per set and 1.80 aces per set in their nine away matches. Their .367 hitting percentage recorded at LSU on Oct. 20 marks the Gators best hitting percentage on the road. UF has tallied two sweeps, two four-set wins and two five-set wins in their six league wins
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