Florida heads to Starkville, Miss. for a two-match series beginning on Oct. 14
Match Notes
STARKVILLE, Miss. – The 13th-ranked Florida volleyball team (13-3, 5-1) heads to Starkville, Miss. to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs (11-5, 4-2 SEC) in a two-match conference series beginning Friday.
Friday’s matchup is slated for 9 p.m. ET on SEC Network with Sam Gore and Jenn Hoffman on the call, while’s Saturday’s match is set to begin at 6 p.m. ET on SEC Network +.
In its last SEC action, the Gators swept the series against LSU – topping the Tigers in four sets and five sets, respectively on Saturday and Sunday. Mississippi State is also coming off two conference wins, having defeated Texas A&M in its last series.
The Gators hold the 53-1 all-time advantage over the Bulldogs, including a 26-0 record in Starkville, Miss.
Last Time Against Mississippi State
* The last time these two squads faced off was on Sept. 24, 2021 in Gainesville, Fla. and the Bulldogs came out victorious in a tightly-contested five set battle (25-17, 23-25, 24-26, 25-21, 13-15)
* Sofia Victoria led Florida’s offense on Friday night, posting 19 kills. Former Gator T’ara Ceasar added a 17-kill effort, while Merritt Beason, Gator alumna Lauren Dooley and former Gator Thayer Hall recorded nine, eight and seven kills, respectively
* Gator alumna Marlie Monserez dished out 56 assists on the night
* At the net, Florida notched 15.0 blocks, led by five from Gabrielle Essix and Beason. Ceasar, Dooley and Nnedi Okammor each posted four blocks of their own in the match
* Five Gators recorded at least 10 digs in the match – the last time that was accomplished was Aug. 25, 2018 against No. 3 Texas. Elli McKissock recorded a team-high 22 digs on the evening, followed by a 14-dig performance from Ceasar. Monserez pitched in 13 digs, while Hall and Victoria added 12 and 10, respectively
Last Time Out
* The then-No. 15 Florida volleyball team won a five-set thriller against the LSU Tigers the last time the Gators took the court on Sunday (25-18, 26-24, 25-27, 21-25, 15-9)
* The Gators were led on the offensive attack by Merritt Beason, who posted a 21-kill performance on the afternoon – tying her career-best. Sofia Victoria added 16 of her own in the five-set match, followed by 14 kills from Marina Markova. Gabrielle Essix posted a career-high 12 kills in the victory to round out the Gators in double-digit kills
* Alexis Stucky anchored the Florida offense, dishing out a career-high 56 assists, along with a career-best 16 digs for her fourth double-double of the season
* The Gators held the Tigers to a .168 hitting efficiency, tallying 16.0 blocks at the net. Essix posted a team-high and a career-high 10 blocks to lead the way, followed by a career-best eight from Beason. Nnedi Okammor and Markova also registered four blocks in the victory
* Florida’s backcourt defense was led by a 20-dig effort from Elli McKissock and Stucky followed with a career-high 16 digs of her own. Emily Canaan added 10, while Beason (9) and Victoria (8) combined for 17 digs in the five-set win
* Canaan and Stucky each posted a team-high two service aces in the match, followed by one apiece from Alexis Stucky and Bre Kelley.
Gators in the SEC
* As a team, the Gators are ranked in the Top-5 in the conference in four categories:
* Opponent hitting percentage (2nd | .155)
* Blocks per set (2nd | 2.73)
* Aces per set (3rd | 1.76)
* Hitting percentage (4th | .261)
* Individually, the following Gators rank in the Top-10 in different categories:
* Bre Kelley – Hitting percentage (7th | .360), Blocks per set (5th | 1.18)
* Merritt Beason – Aces per set (2nd | 0.43), Points per set (6th | 4.45)
* Gabrielle Essix – Blocks per set (8th | 1.17)
* Alexis Stucky – Assists per set (4th | 10.13)
* Elli McKissock – Digs per set (8th | 3.76)
No. 13 Florida at Mississippi State Broadcast Information
Date & Time: Oct. 14 | 9 p.m. ET
TV: SEC Network
Live Stream: WatchESPN<https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=d3c3e8ca-c201-43d3-80c0-7d714278b881>
Live Stats: Statbroadcast<http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=418260>
No. 13 Florida at Mississippi State Broadcast Information
Date & Time: Oct. 15 | 6 p.m. ET
Live Stream: SEC Network +<https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=77354dc4-31cb-45b4-85fe-3554886ee6f5>
Live Stats: Statbroadcast<http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=418261>
Series Information – No. 13 Florida at Mississippi State
Bulldogs | 2022 season synopsis: 11-5, 4-2 SEC
* This is the 55th meeting between the Gators and the Bulldogs
* Florida leads 53-1 (44-1 under Mary Wise)
* 3-set: 48-0 | 4-set: 4-0 | 5-set: 1-1
* Home: 25-1 | Away: 26-0 | Neutral: 2-0
* Last Time Out: Sept. 24, 2021 | Gainesville, Fla. | L, 2-3 (25-17, 23-25, 24-26, 25-21, 13-15)
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