No. 20 Volleyball Set to Honor Seniors in Saturday Matchup against UCF

Florida will honor its six seniors: Trinity Adams, Gabrielle Essix, Erin Engel, AC Fitzpatrick, Isabel Martin and Elli McKissock prior to first serve.

Match Notes<https://floridagators.com/common/controls/doc_handler.aspx?doc=37900>

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The 20th-ranked Florida volleyball team welcomes in-state rivals UCF to Gainesville for a non-conference matchup on Saturday, Nov. 23 inside the O’Dome. First serve is slated for 4:30 p.m. and admission to the Gators last regular-season home match is free with a purchased football ticket.

No. 20 Florida (20-5, 11-3 SEC) vs. UCF (9-15, 2-13 Big12)
Date & Time: Saturday, Nov. 23 | 4:30 p.m. ET

Location: Exactech Arena – Gainesville, Fla.

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Series Information

* Series Record 20-0 (8-0 under Wise)
* 3-set: 14-0, 4-set: 5-0; 5-set: 1-0
* Home: 10-0; Away: 7-0; Neutral: 3-0
* Last time out: 2019 | W, 3-0 | H | 25-21, 25-18, 25-17

Saturday Senior Day
Florida will honor the careers of six Gators prior to Saturday’s 4:30 start time.

Jersey Number

Name

Position

Hometown

AC Fitzpatrick

Outside Hitter

Ocala, Fla.

Trinity Adams

Defensive Specialist

Radford, Va.

Gabrielle Essix

Middle Blocker

Hoover, Ala.

Erin Engel

Setter

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Isabel Martin

Outside Hitter

Mauerstetten, Bavaria, Germany

Elli McKissock

Libero

Windermere, Fla.

Saturday Parking Information

Women’s volleyball fans are encouraged to arrive to the O’Dome before 3:00 p.m. There will be not be shuttles offered on Saturday for the volleyball match. O’Connell Center parking should be accessed via SW 2ND Ave in addition to public lots at Fraternity Road, the Law School and Track Lot.

Florida’s Last Time Out:

* The No. 20 Florida volleyball team tallied their ninth-consecutive win after taking down Auburn 3-1 (25-17, 25-23, 20-25, 25-21) on the road inside Neville Arena. The Gators jump to 11-3 in conference play and 20-5 overall.
* Wednesday’s win marks the first time since 2021 that Florida has won nine-consecutive SEC matches in a row. The Gators won nine-straight from Oct. 16 to Nov. 21, 2021 when two-match series were played back-to-back due to COVID-19 regulations.
* The Gators have now won 20 matches in 33 of Mary Wise’s 34 years at the helm of Florida volleyball.
* Sophomore All-American Kennedy Martin finished with 31 kills and 10 digs to record her second double-double of the season, while redshirt senior Isabel Martin finished with 11 kills and 11 digs to tally her first.
* Libero Elli McKissock put on a defensive show, tallying 31 digs to tie her career high and lead the way for Florida in the backcourt. The fifth year recorded double digits in the opening set after recording 13 digs, and recorded 21 digs after two sets.

On UCF:

* The Knights snapped their 11-match losing streak with a five-set win over Kansas State on Wednesday, marking their second Big 12 win of the season.
* With 15 losses already, UCF has their most losses in a season since going 15-17 in 2015.
* UCF allows opponents to hit at a .250 clip, the second worst mark in the Big 12 and 17th worst in the nation.
* The Knights rank last in the Big 12 in blocks per set (1.82) and opponent service aces (1.77).

Match Notes Preview:

* 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. The sophomore is just one of 14 players tabbed to the list.
* Martin has made a historic comeback after missing seven matches in the beginning of the season due to an ankle injury. Playing in just 76 percent of Florida’s 92 sets, she currently ranks second in the nation for points per set (6.16) and second for kills for set (5.43). In SEC matches alone, her 6.45 points per set and 5.73 kills per set rank first, while her 0.44 aces per set sits third and .366 hitting clip ranks ninth. Furthermore, she has recorded double-digit kills in every match played wearing the Orange and Blue (47 matches).
* GATORS IN SEC STANDINGS
* Florida’s 11-3 league record currently sits behind No. 12 Kentucky’s 12-2 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 averaging 13.24 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.
* THE GATOR SURGE
* Florida is currently on a nine-match win streak, marking the first time since 2021 that Florida has won nine or more SEC matches in a row. The Gators won nine-consecutive conference matches from Oct. 16 to Nov. 21 during the 2021 season when two-match series were played back-to-back due to COVID-19 regulations. Within the nine matches, the Gators have averaged a .314 hitting clip, while holding their opponents to a .210 hitting percentage. Behind the service line, the Gators average 1.58 aces per set. Individually, Kennedy Martin is averaged 7.14 points per set and 6.42 kills per set, while hitting .402 in the win streak. Libero Elli McKissock is averaging 5.00 digs per set and 0.30 aces per set.

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