Gator Volleyball Kicks Off Spring Season

The Gator volleyball team, currently ranked 10th in the nation, begins its spring season on the road. They take on Ole Miss in a two-match series starting Friday.

Leading up to this point

The Gator volleyball team is currently 6-2 on the season, all in the SEC. They face Ole Miss who is yet to record a match victory this season, sitting at 0-6.

Florida is a top five team in the SEC in six major stat categories.

3rd in hitting percentage, 0.261.

2nd in opponent hitting percentage, 0.163.

2nd in assists, 12.36 per set.

5th in kills, 13.14 per set.

1st in blocks, 2.95 per set.

5th in digs, 14.43 per set.

Florida has a player ranked in the top ten in the SEC in five major stat categories.

Kills per set: T’ara Ceasar (7th, 3.89), Thayer Hall (9th, 3.71)

Assists per set: Marlie Monserez (3rd, 10.18)

Blocks per set: Lauren Dooley (2nd, 1.54), Nnedi Okammor (3rd, 1.30), Holly Carlton (7th, 1.12)

Digs per set: Paula Cerame (6th, 3.43)

Points per set: T’ara Ceasar (7th, 4.52), Thayer Hall (9th, 4.05)

Friday and Saturday Matchups

Florida’s head coach Mary Wise talked in a press conference on Tuesday about the long break in between games during the winter. Wise said the team looked at it “as a reset button, not trying to carry that momentum, but truly a reset button from the fall.” Florida’s last match was November 21, a win against Georgia. That’s almost 10 weeks in between matches.

When asked about the Ole Miss team, Wise mentioned they have a new coach. Kayla Banwarth in her first season coaching the Rebels. Banwarth won a bronze medal with Team USA at the 2016 Olympic Games. Wise also mentioned about Ole Miss, “this is a team that’s gonna stay in rallies.”

Going into her 56th match up with the Gators against the Rebels, Mary Wise holds a record of 52-3. Wise has also had a great career with 958 victories total, the fourth most in Division I history.

First serve on Friday is set for 3 pm.