UF VB | Gators Head to Starkville for Friday Night Matchup

Florida holds the 55-1 series advantage over Mississippi State

Match Notes<https://floridagators.com/documents/2023/10/9/16_Mississippi_State.pdf>

STARKVILLE, Miss. – The No. 14 Florida Volleyball team (12-3, 4-2 SEC) heads to Starkville to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-8, 1-5 SEC) on Friday night at the Newell-Grissom Building.

First serve is slated for 7 p.m. ET on SEC +.

Florida is coming off a sweep of Alabama last Sunday, while Mississippi State fell in straight-sets to Texas A&M in its last contest.

The Gators hold the 55-1 series advantage over the Bulldogs, including a 46-1 record under Mary Wise. Florida is 28-0 in Starkville and swept last season’s series (3-0, 3-0).

Milestones to Watch

* Elli McKissock currently sits fourth in Florida’s record books in career digs with 1,428. She passed Marcie Hampton (1,372 | 2004-07) and Allie Gregory (1,385 | 2016-19) against Texas A&M on Sept. 27
* She sits just 16 digs away from tying Lyra Vance (1984-87 | 1,444) for third place
* McKissock is also 24th in program history in career aces with 97. She needs just seven aces to break into the Top-20 all-time
Gators in the SEC

* As a team, the Gators are ranked in the Top-5 in the SEC in the following:
* Hitting percentage (4th | .268)
* Blocks per set (2nd | 2.57)
* Aces per set (5th | 1.69)
* Individually, four Gators are ranked in the Top-10 conference:
* Kennedy Martin: points per set (4th | 4.70) | kills per set (7th | 3.87)
* Anna Dixon: hitting percentage (5th | .363)
* Nnedi Okammor: blocks per set (7th | 1.17)
* Elli McKissock: digs per set (8th | 3.38)
Last Time Out

* The ninth-ranked Florida volleyball team swept the Alabama Crimson Tide on Oct. 7 in Exactech Arena
* Florida took the first set in a tight 25-22 battle, then followed with a 29-27 victory in the second to take the 2-0 match lead. The Gators closed out the match with a 25-19 win in the final frame to move to 4-2 in the SEC
* AC Fitzpatrick posted a 14-kill effort with a .394 clip on the afternoon, leading the way offensively for Florida. Kennedy Martin pitched in 11 in the win, continuing her streak of 15 matches with 10+ kills, while Anna Dixon followed with nine kills and a .643 clip of her own
* Kennedy Muff dished out 32 assists in the three-setter, leading the team to a .337 clip. Trinity Adams added three helpers of her own in the win
* As a squad, the Gators tallied 10.0 blocks at the net. Florida was led by a four-block performance from both Sofia Victoria and Gabrielle Essix. The four blocks tied Victoria’s career-high. Nnedi Okammor added three in the win, followed by two apiece from Fitzpatrick, Muff, Martin and Dixon
* Elli McKissock led the backcourt with a team-high 17 digs on the night. That moves her to 1,428 for her career and just 16 digs away from tying Lyra Vance for third place in program history. Adams and Martin each pitched in six digs to follow McKissock
* Behind the service line, Martin and Emily Canaan each recorded two aces on the afternoon
No. 14 Florida at Mississippi State Broadcast Information
Date & Time: Oct. 13 | 7 p.m. ET
Live Stream: SEC +<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/a4f48099-2cb6-4501-bfd1-1d726ffca44e> | Live Stats: Statbroadcast<http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=478478&vislive=fla>

Series Information – No. 14 Florida at Mississippi State
Bulldogs | 2023 season: 8-8, 2-5 SEC

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