Florida and Minnesota set for 12 p.m. on ESPNU
Match Notes<https://floridagators.com/documents/2023/8/31/4_Minnesota.pdf>
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 8 Florida Volleyball team opens the home portion of its schedule on Sunday with another Top-10 matchup as the fifth-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers come to town.
First serve is slated for 12 p.m. on ESPNU with Anne Marie Anderson and Kelly Burke on the call. The match can also be heard on the airways of ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM/850 AM with Tom Collett and Nick Cheronis on the call.
The Gators are coming off a 3-0 sweep of No. 2 Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif., while the Golden Gophers dropped a four-set contest to No. 7 Texas in their last match.
Minnesota holds the 6-2 series advantage, but the series is tied 2-2 in Gainesville, Fla.
Promotions
* Sunday’s match will serve as Florida’s Camper Reunion!
* Giveaways:
* First 500 kids 12 & under receive a Gators Volleyball Autograph Book
* First 250 students receive a Gators Volleyball Straw Hat
* First 500 season ticket holders receive an exclusive season ticket holder mug
* This season, post-match autographs return on court
* There will also be a spike line for kids 12 & under following the match
National Spotlight
* As a team, the Gators are ranked in the Top-30 in the nation in the following:
* Hitting percentage (29th | .305)
* Individually, three Gators are ranked in the Top-50 nationally:
* Kennedy Martin: points per set (7th | 6.08) | kills per set (11th | 5.08)
* Anna Dixon: blocks per set: (45th | 1.50) | hitting percentage (49th | .450)
* Alexis Stucky: assists per set (19th | 11.25)
Players of the Week
* For their performances over during the first week of play, both Kennedy Martin and Anna Dixon earned Player of the Week honors
* Martin was tabbed as AVCA National DI Player of the Week, SEC Player of the Week and SEC Offensive Player of the Week after registering 45 kills during the first two matches
* The combined 45 kills were the most for a freshman in the first two matches of their career in the rally-scoring era, surpassing Thayer Hall’s mark of 41 in the 2018 season
* She joins the ranks of Alexis Stucky (2022), Rhamat Alhassan (2014), Kelly Murphy (2008) and Elyse Cusack (2006) for the Florida freshmen to win AVCA DI Player of the Week and she was the first to do so after her first weekend of play
* Dixon recorded a career-high 14.0 blocks against South Florida, surpassing her previous career-high of 6.0. That mark was tied for the highest total in a match in program history with four-time All-American Rhamat Alhassan
Last Time Out
* The No. 8 Florida volleyball team took down the second-ranked team in the nation on Tuesday night, defeating the Stanford Cardinal in straight-sets
* The Gators improve to 3-0 for the fourth-straight season and the 27th time in program history with the victory tonight. This is the seventh victory for Florida over a Top-2 team in program history, with the last sweep against a Top-2 team being Sept. 7, 2002 against No. 1 Stanford
* The Gators took the first set 25-17 to open up the match, then won a thrilling 29-27 victory in the second to take the 2-0 lead. Florida claimed the match with a come-from-behind 2523 win in the final frame
* Florida’s offensive attack was led by Kennedy Martin for the third-straight match, with the freshman right side tallying 16 kills with a 394 clip. Sofia Victoria and Kira Hutson each added nine kills in the victory, while middles Gabrielle Essix and Anna Dixon posted five apiece
* Sophomore setter Alexis Stucky led the squad to a .324 clip in the three-setter, dishing out 34 assists. Martin and Dixon recorded four and two blocks, respectively in the win
* The backcourt defense was led by Stucky’s 12 digs – her first double-double of the season and sixth of her career. Elli McKissock and Trinity Adams each followed with eight digs apiece, while Emily Canaan added five
* Behind the service line, Martin (2), Canaan (1) and Adams (1) each registered at least one ace.
No. 8 Florida vs. No. 5 Minnesota Broadcast Information
Date & Time: Sept. 3 | 12 p.m.
TV: ESPNU | Live Stream: ESPN Watch<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/ae027827-46ae-4a41-8a28-6a0f7de719b7> | Live Stats: Statbroadcast<http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=474266> | Radio: ESPN 98.1 FM/850 AM<https://www.wruf.com/listen-live/>
Series Information – No. 8 Florida vs. No. 5 Minnesota
Golden Gophers | 2023 season synopsis: 2-1
* This is the ninth meeting between the Gators and the Golden Gophers
* Florida trails 2-6 (2-5 under Mary Wise)
* 3-set: 1-1 | 4-set: 1-3 | 5-set: 0-2
* Home: 2-2 | Away: 0-3 | Neutral: 0-1
* Last Time Out: Sept. 4, 2022 | Minneapolis, Minn. | L, 1-3 (22-25, 25-17, 22-25, 16-25)
FOLLOW FLORIDA VOLLEYBALL
FloridaGators.com<http://floridagators.com/index.aspx?path=volleyball>
Twitter<https://twitter.com/GatorsVB>
Instagram<https://www.instagram.com/gatorsvb/?hl=en>
Coach <http://www.twitter.com/GatorMary> Mary Wise<http://www.floridagators.com/coaches.aspx?rc=25> on Twitter | Coach <http://instagram.com/gatormary> Mary Wise<http://www.floridagators.com/coaches.aspx?rc=25> on Instagram
Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gator-Volleyball/154312757940308>
