No. 24 Florida Volleyball Hosts Tennessee in Friday’s Dig Pink Match
The Gators and the Lady Vols meet for the 70th time in the al-time series history Friday inside the O’ Dome.
Match Notes<https://floridagators.com/documents/2024/10/24/Notes_vs._Tennessee.pdf>
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – After a two road matches, the No. 24 Florida volleyball team returns home to host Tennessee in the Gators Dig Pink match on Friday, Oct. 25 inside the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. First serve is slated for 7:00 p.m. and will be aired on SEC Network with Missy Whittemore and Anne Marie Andersen on the call.
No. 24 Florida (13-5, 4-3 SEC) vs. Tennessee (10-7, 3-4SEC)
Friday, Oct. 25 | 7 p.m. ET
Exactech Arena – Gainesville, Fla.
SECN<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/98acf008-00f4-4732-8423-47788beb03bf> | Listen<https://floridagators.com/watch/?Live=5502> | Live Stats<https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=538169> | Tickets<https://am.ticketmaster.com/gators/en/buy/ism/VkIyNDEx>
Marketing Giveaways:
Pink tumblers will be given to the first 1,000 fans who enter through gates one or three.
Florida’s last time out:
The Gators collected two road sweeps last weekend, taking down Texas A&M in three sets (25-21, 25-20, 25-20) on Oct. 18 before defeating LSU 3-0 (25-10, 25-18, 25-17) on Oct. 20. Florida averaged a .126 opponent hitting percentage after holding the Aggies to a .137 hitting clip and the Tigers to .111.
On Tennessee:
The Lady Vols currently tie for sixth in conference play with a 3-4 record after winning big against then No. 25 Auburn in four sets on Sunday, Oct. 20. Tennessee’s .289 hitting percentage ranks third in the SEC, with junior middle blocker Keondreya Granberry leading the conference in hitting percentage with a .479 clip. Tennessee is averaging 13.10 kills and 12.13 assists per set, while outside hitter Nina Cajic and setter Caroline Kerr rank individually for the Lady Vols. Cajic, a graduate transfer from Townson, sits fifth in kills per set with 4.40 and Kerr, the redshirt sophomore, ranks fifth in assists per set with 10.31. Additionally, Cajic ranks third in aces per set with 0.45.
On the defensive side, Tennessee ranks No. 10 in digs per set (13.01), No. 12 in blocks per set (2.04) and No. 14 in opponent hitting percentage (.239). No Lady Vols are individually ranked.
Florida lost their only match against Tennessee last season, falling in five at home on Nov. 3, 2023. The Gators has won eight of the last ten matches against Tennessee, and have won the last four of five matches played in Gainesville since 2016.
Match Notes Preview:
* Gators in the Rankings
* Florida has been ranked inside the American Volleyball Coaches’ Association Top-25 poll for 526 consecutive weeks, marking nine-straight seasons of never dropping out of the top-25. The Gators currently rank No. 24 in the AVCA top-25 Division I WVB Poll.
* Of their remaining 10 regular-season matches, Florida is set to face two opponents that are either ranked or receiving votes in the current poll. The Gators have already played against four teams who are mentioned in Monday’s poll: No. 7 Texas, No. 14 Kentucky, No. 17 Georgia Tech and No. 19 Florida State.
* Mighty Martin
* All-American sophomore Kennedy Martin has recorded double-digit kills in every single match she has played wearing the Orange and Blue (40 consecutive matches). Seeing action in only 40 of Florida’s 65 sets played in the 2024 season, Martin is currently averaging a .337 hitting percentage, 0.48 aces per set and .68 blocks per set. She leads the SEC and the Gators in points per set (5.36) and has led Florida in kills 10 times. She ranks second in the SEC for aces, while sitting third in kills per set (4.53).
* Immediate Impact
* Seven of Florida’s fresh faces – Jaela Auguste, Erin Engel, Bella Lee, Taylor Parks, Isabel Martin, Alec Rothe and Lauren Harden – have taken no time to adjust to their new environment. Through 18 matches, the five freshman and two transfers have contributed 50.24% kills, 56.49% assists, 32.12% aces, 28.02% digs, 62.07% block solos, 58.58% block assists, 59.26% total blocks and 48.87% points to Florida’s average stat line.
* Attack Efficiency
* Through 18 matches in 2024, the Gators sit at a .293 clip in kill percentage, good for the second-highest in the SEC and 11th-highest total in the NCAA. Florida has hit above .300 eight times this season and recorded their highest hitting percentage of .456 against Alabama State on Sept. 12. The Gators recorded their best hitting percentage in Conference play on Oct. 20 at LSU after registering a .367 hitting clip. Additionally, the Gators have totaled five or less attack errors in 48 of their 65 sets played so far.
Series Information:
* Series Record 55-14 (51-9 under Wise)
* 3-set: 41-2; 4-set: 12-4; 5-set: 2-8
* Home: 28-8; Away: 26-5; Neutral: 1-1
* Last time out | L, 2-3 | H | 25-23, 14-25, 25-20, 23-25, 13-15
Fans can purchase single-game tickets for the remaining matches. To purchase, click here<https://am.ticketmaster.com/gators/buy?id=NzEx>. For more information on volleyball tickets, call the Gator Ticket Office at (352) 375-4683<tel:3523754683>.
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