Gators Volleyball Hopes to Keep Rising With Two More SEC Wins

Gators volleyball is entering the weekend on a five-match winning streak, with a home match on Friday night against Auburn and Sunday against No. 10 Alabama.

Won’t Back Down

In the Oct.21 American Volleyball Coaches Assocation poll, the Gators were coming off two decisive 3-0 losses. They were subsequently ranked No.24, threatening the Gators with falling out of the Top 25 poll for the first time in over 10 years.

Since then, the Gators are on a five-match win streak, bringing their record to 16-5. In the most recent AVCA poll, which was released on Monday, the Gators climbed to No.22. In SEC standings, the Gators are now ranked fourth. This is crucial in the 2024 season more than ever, because for the first time since 2005, the SEC tournament makes it return next November.

Keys to the Weekend

Only the best regular conference record earns an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Both Auburn and Alabama are SEC competitors, making this a high stakes weekend in the O’Dome.

Auburn’s volleyball team is on a six-match losing streak, which the Gators hope to extend to seven. Auburn’s offense often struggles early and takes off in the second set. It will be up to the Gators’ historically strong defense and endurance to stave them off. That shouldn’t be too difficult, as Florida’s libero Elli McKissock won last week’s SEC Co-Defensive player award.

https://twitter.com/GatorsVB/status/1853180510346104968

Alabama has recently faced a similar downward trend, currently tallying four consecutive lost matches. The Crimson Tide’s trip to Gainesville is their final SEC road match. Contrary to Auburn’s style of play, Alabama typically starts strong and takes the first set.

A key player in ensuring the Gators can match their early pace is true freshman Taylor Parks. In 15 games, Parks leads the Gators in assists and has recorded three double-doubles. Last week, she won SEC Freshman of the Week for the second consecutive time. The other star on offense for the Gators, Kennedy Martin, will need to make a big showing in order to propel the Gators through the weekend’s challenges. This season, Martin has led the Gators in both kills and points 13 times.

reasons to remember the name ⤵️#GoGators pic.twitter.com/M7MgJWjcM7

— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) November 1, 2024

Florida next match is set to begin on Nov.8 at 7 p.m. and Sunday’s matchup begins at 1p.m in the O’Connell Center.