Gator Volleyball Travels to Rival FSU

It’s rivalry time. The No. 14 Florida volleyball team (4-3) travels to Tallahassee to take on Florida State (6-2) on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Florida State will honor the life of former player Brianna Barry, who also coached at UF summer camps, preceding the game with Donuts for Bri.

The Seminoles have not defeated the Gators since 2016. The Seminoles won in five sets to advance in the NCAA Tournament.

It’s also a time to bounce back. Gator volleyball comes off a disappointing two games. The No. 12 Baylor Bears swept Florida, winning in four sets on Friday and straight sets on Saturday.

https://twitter.com/GatorsVB/status/1438110352898727937?s=20

Over the weekend, Marlie Monserez dished out a majority of her sets to redshirt senior T’ara Ceasar. Ceasar hit .274 on the weekend. Baylor put service pressure on Florida, often succeeding at taking the middles out of the offense. Despite the minimal impact on Saturday, middle Lauren Forte leads the SEC in hitting percentage at .494.

Head coach Mary Wise played around with the rotation over the weekend– every player got to play on Saturday. Wednesday’s starting lineup will indicate if any of these changes are permanent.

Donuts for Bri

Wednesday’s match honors the life of a special player for both teams, Barry. The former FSU middle blocker Barry will have her jersey retired in an on-court ceremony. Since she always found donuts wherever she traveled for volleyball, everyone in attendance will receive a free donut. Barry often worked summer camps at UF, where she bonded with Wise.

https://twitter.com/FSU_Volleyball/status/1437213762663206912?s=20

Seminoles

Florida State’s two losses came to Michigan and the University of Central Florida, decided in five sets. Their biggest win came against Georgia (4-5). The Gators will be the Seminoles’ first ranked opponent of the season.

So far, Florida State is a middle-heavy team, though the Gator serve will look to contend with that. Talented middle Khori Louis has hit .338. Emma Clothier has put together a similar hitting percentage, while averaging .54 aces/set, so the Gators will have to manage not only her offense but her serve.

The Seminoles’ outsides Morgan Chacon and Audrey Koenig have each averaged 2.4 kills a set, while hitting slightly under .200. The Seminoles use several defensive specialists.

Series History

The last time Florida played Florida State, the Gators swept the match 3-0 (25-21, 27-25, 25-14) in Gainesville. Overall, Florida leads the series 43-20 and 15-10 when competing in Tallahassee.

How to Watch/Listen

The game will stream live via ACC Network Plus. It will air through the sound streams at 5:40 p.m. on ESPN 98.1 FM/850 AM.