Gators Head to Lexington With SEC Title on the Line
No. 20 Florida will face No. 8 Kentucky to close out the regular season
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 20 Florida volleyball team (20-6, 14-2 SEC) hits the road for the final time in the 2021 regular season, taking on the 8th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats (22-4, 15-1 SEC) in a two-match series with the SEC title on the line for both teams.
The series is set to begin on Friday at 1 p.m. on the SEC Network with Paul Sunderland and Missy Whittemore on the call. Saturday’s first serve is also slated for 1 p.m., but will air on SEC Network +.
The Gators are coming off a series sweep over South Carolina, while Kentucky topped Auburn in straight sets during its last contest on Nov. 21.
Florida holds the 52-17 series advantage over Kentucky, including a 50-10 record under head coach Mary Wise.
SEC Championship on the Line
* Once again, the battle for the SEC Championship comes down to the final series between Florida and Kentucky
* Either Florida or Kentucky has won at least a share of the SEC title since the 2015 season (Texas A&M)
* The scenarios are as follows:
* If Florida were to win both matches against Kentucky and Mississippi State beats Auburn, the Gators and the Bulldogs would share the title
* If Florida were to win both matches against Kentucky and Mississippi State were to lose to Auburn, the Gators would win the title outright
* If Florida and Kentucky were to split the series and Mississippi State beats Auburn, the Wildcats and the Bulldogs would share the title
* If Kentucky were to take both matches in the series, the Wildcats would win the title outright
* The Gators have won 24 SEC Championships in the history of the program, all of which came after the 1991 season
Gators in the SEC
* Through the season thus far, Florida has at least one player ranked in the following categories
* Hitting percentage: Lauren Forte (2nd, .434)
* Kills per set: T’ara Ceasar (3rd, 3.93)
* Assists per set: Marlie Monserez (2nd, 11.23)
* Service aces per set: T’ara Ceasar (4th, 0.36)
* Blocks per set: Lauren Dooley (9th, 1.13)
* Digs per set: Elli McKissock (3rd, 4.31)
* Points per set: T’ara Ceasar (3rd, 4.57)
* Through the season thus far, Florida is ranked in the Top-10 in the conference in the following categories:
* Hitting percentage: 2nd (.298)
* Opponent hitting percentage: 3rd (.176)
* Assists per set: 1st (13.40)
* Kills per set: 1st (14.30)
* Blocks per set: 2nd (2.62)
* Service aces per set: 3rd (1.43)
* Digs per set: 5th (15.13)
Last Time Against Kentucky
* The Gators fell in three sets to Kentucky the last time these two teams faced off on March 20, 2021 (20- 25, 18-25, 21-25)
* Lauren Forte led the way offensively, recording 10 kills on the evening. Former Gator Holly Carlton and Thayer Hall each added seven kills of their own
* Marlie Monserez dished out 24 assists in the three-setter
* As a team, Florida collected six blocks at the net, led by five from Lauren Forte. Monserez added three of her own, while T’ara Ceasar, Lauren Dooley and Hall each tallied one
* Elli McKissock recorded a team-high 11 digs in the match, followed by nine from Monserez. Ceasar and Hall each added seven digs of their own
No. 20 Florida at No. 8 Kentucky Broadcast Information – Nov. 26
Date & Time: Nov. 26 | 1 p.m.
TV: SEC Network<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.espn.com_watch_player-3Fid-3De54b68ef-2D173d-2D4a15-2D8fff-2D3ff106c68e33&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=uXu4cJr5PpcQyhQ4X53EZ842qTn0wnfVFZ45lmo1qtEZDJ6T5qYlQMF04AcpbrVB&s=6ym7stXUrpzE1BexCH-vfjoe_GeussU0wulbT5mxw3c&e= >
Live Stream: SEC Network<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.espn.com_watch_player-3Fid-3De54b68ef-2D173d-2D4a15-2D8fff-2D3ff106c68e33&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=uXu4cJr5PpcQyhQ4X53EZ842qTn0wnfVFZ45lmo1qtEZDJ6T5qYlQMF04AcpbrVB&s=6ym7stXUrpzE1BexCH-vfjoe_GeussU0wulbT5mxw3c&e= >
Live Stats: Sidearm<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__ukathletics.com_sidearmstats_wvball_summary&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=uXu4cJr5PpcQyhQ4X53EZ842qTn0wnfVFZ45lmo1qtEZDJ6T5qYlQMF04AcpbrVB&s=hnQVLoiOJHlT3CUXMk-u-9oiCBm9s0Y-3iu804hoRTs&e= >
Radio: ESPN 98.1 FM/850 AM<https://www.wruf.com/listen-live/>
No. 20 Florida at No. 8 Kentucky Broadcast Information – Nov. 27
Date & Time: Nov. 27 | 1 p.m.
Live Stream: SEC Network +<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.espn.com_watch_schedule_-5F_type_upcoming_categoryId_be9385dc-2Dc518-2D3a55-2D9197-2Dec47a9e0e7f6_startDate_20211127&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=uXu4cJr5PpcQyhQ4X53EZ842qTn0wnfVFZ45lmo1qtEZDJ6T5qYlQMF04AcpbrVB&s=jjS57rNM01h6iB0HkO6ZyIlMSwcxwkHUS2zPQILslL8&e= >
Live Stats: Sidearm<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__ukathletics.com_sidearmstats_wvball_summary&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=uXu4cJr5PpcQyhQ4X53EZ842qTn0wnfVFZ45lmo1qtEZDJ6T5qYlQMF04AcpbrVB&s=hnQVLoiOJHlT3CUXMk-u-9oiCBm9s0Y-3iu804hoRTs&e= >
Radio: FloridaGators.com/watch<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_watch_-3FLive-3D3678-26type-3DArchive&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=uXu4cJr5PpcQyhQ4X53EZ842qTn0wnfVFZ45lmo1qtEZDJ6T5qYlQMF04AcpbrVB&s=U8XFXZmXNCQL_uU1KS-AK70oVXEKGPPksgrlx-q5k-0&e= >
Series Information – No. 20 Florida at No. 8 Kentucky
Wildcats | 2021 season synopsis: 22-4, 15-1 SEC
* This is the 70th meeting between the Gators and the Wildcats
* Florida leads the series 52-17 (50-10 under Mary Wise)
* 3-set: 36-8 | 4-set: 9-2 | 5-set: 7-7
* Home: 25-9 | Away: 23-7 | Neutral: 4-1
* Last Time Out: March 20, 2021 | Gainesville, Fla. | L, 0-3 (20-25, 18-25, 21-25)
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