UF VB | Gators-Panthers Set to Face Off in Regional Semifinal

Florida and Pittsburgh will play for a berth to the Round of Eight

Match Notes<https://floridagators.com/documents/2022/12/6/31_NCAARegionalSemi_Pitt_with_AVCA_Updates.pdf> | NCAA Tournament Bracket PDF<https://floridagators.com/documents/2022/11/27/2022_DI_WVB_Bracket.pdf> | 2022 Florida Volleyball Media Supplement<https://floridagators.com/documents/2022/8/8/2022_Media_Supplement.pdf>

MADISON, Wisc. – The No. 3 seeded Florida volleyball team takes on the No. 2 seeded Pittsburgh Panthers in the NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinal on Thursday at the UW Field House in Madison, Wisc.

First serve is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPU with Sam Gore and Shelby Coppedge on the call. The match can also be heard on the airways of 98.1 FM/850 AM.

Florida (25-5, 15-3 SEC) and Pittsburgh (29-3, 17-1 ACC) are facing each other for just the fourth time in program history and the first time in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. The Panthers hold the 2-1 series advantage, but under Mary Wise, the Gators are 1-0 in the series.

UF advanced to the Regional Semifinal after downing Florida A&M and Iowa State in the First and Second Rounds, respectively, while Pitt moved on to the Sweet 16 after topping Colgate and BYU in the first weekend.

Florida is looking to make its 18th trip to the Regional Final and overall, the Gators are 17-20 in Regional Semifinal matches in their 33-year NCAA Tournament history.

How To Follow – 3-seed Florida vs. 2-seed Pitt

Time & Date: Thursday, Dec. 8 | 3:30 p.m. ET
TV Network: ESPNU
Live Stream: WatchESPN<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/e945584a-e527-43cb-8ef7-4a7f30b89ece>
Live Stats: NCAA.com<https://www.ncaa.com/game/6079438>
Radio: ESPN 98.1 FM/850AM<https://radio.securenetsystems.net/cirruscontent/WRUFAM>
Tickets: UWBadgers.com

Madison Regional Rounds Schedule

  *   Regional Semifinal Matches – Thursday, Dec. 8
     *   Match 1: Florida vs. Pittsburgh – 3:30 p.m. ET
     *   Match 2: Wisconsin vs. Penn State – 30 minutes following first match
  *   Regional Final Match
     *   Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2 – 8 p.m. ET

Series Information

2-seed Pitt | 29-3 overall, 17-1 ACC

  *   Pitt leads series: 2-1 (1-0 under Mary Wise)
  *   3-set: 1-1 | 4-set: 0-1 | 5-set: 0-0
  *   Home: 1-1 | Away: 0-1 | Neutral: 0-0
  *   NCAA Tournament series: N/A
  *   Last Time Out: Sept. 12, 1998 | Gainesville, Fla. | W, 3-0 (15-5, 15-5, 15-6)
  *   Notable: Earned a No. 2 seed after winning a share of the ACC Championship

Scouting the Rest of the Field

1-seed Wisconsin | 27-3 overall, 19-1 Big 10

  *   Florida leads: 6-1 (6-1 under Mary Wise)
  *   3-set: 2-0 | 4-set: 1-0 | 5-set: 3-1
  *   Home: 1-0 | Away: 3-0 | Neutral: 2-1
  *   NCAA Tournament series: 2-1
  *   Last Time Out: Sept. 16, 2022 | Madison, Wisc. | W, 3-2 (25-21, 25-18, 26-28, 13-25, 15-13)
  *   Notable: Has won 20-straight matches heading into the weekend

Penn State | 26-7 overall, 13-7 Big 10

  *   Penn State leads series: 8-3 (3-5 under Mary Wise)
  *   3-set: 1-4 | 4-set: 0-3 | 5-set: 2-1
  *   Home: 1-5 | Away: 0-1 | Neutral: 2-2
  *   NCAA Tournament series: Penn State leads series 2-1
  *   Last Time Out: Sept. 8, 2013 | Austin, Texas | L, 0-3 (18-25, 17-25, 20-25)
  *   Notable: Earned a No. 4 seed after going 13-7 in the Big 10 conference

Florida’s NCAA Tournament Notables

  *   This is Florida’s 32nd-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament – making the field every year under Mary Wise
     *   This is the third-longest active streak in the nation behind Penn State – 42 and Nebraska – 41
  *   Overall, UF has been in the NCAA Tournament 32 times since the program’s inception in 1984
  *   The Gators are 12-4 against the 2022 NCAA Tournament Field
  *   Florida has made 29 Regional Semifinals and 16 Regional Championship appearances in program history
  *   UF is seeking its ninth all-time NCAA Semifinals appearance, looking to make it back for the first time since 2017
  *   Florida head coach Mary Wise boasts an 80-30 (.721) record all-time in the NCAA Tournament, with all of her postseason appearances coming with the Gators
     *   Her 80 NCAA Tournament wins put her fifth in Division I history
  *   The Gators carry an 81-32 (.717) all-time record in the NCAA Tournament
  *   Florida is 4-9 on the road and 16-16 at neutral site matches during NCAA Tournament play

Florida as a Top-16 Seed

  *   The Gators earned the No. 3 seed in the Top Right portion of the bracket, meaning they were tabbed as a Top-16 seed
  *   This is the 28th time in program history that Florida has earned a Top-16 seed
  *   As a Top-16 seed, UF has made 27 Regional Semifinals, 13 Regional Finals, eight National Semifinals and two National Finals
  *   As a No. 16 seed or better, Florida is 74-28 (.725)

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