Sweet 16! Florida Faces Illinois Friday at 8 p.m. in Ames Regional Semifinal
Thursday, December 11, 2014 | Volleyball
Practice Day Photo Gallery | Florida Pre-NCAA Semis Press Conference (Wise, Pole, Dagostino) |
2014 NCAA Volleyball Interactive Bracket | Florida Match Notes
AMES, Iowa -- Following two NCAA Tournament wins against Alabama State and Miami in the NCAA First and Second Rounds in Gainesville, the Gators will bring the Florida heat to Ames, Iowa, for the Regional Semifinals. No. 8 Seed Florida will square off with No. 9 Seed Illinois in a Friday night showdown at Hilton Coliseum in Ames. First serve slated for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN3 with Beth Mowins and U.S. National Team and World Champion head coach Karch Kiraly on the call, with a trip to the Elite 8 up for grabs.
Friday's first match will feature Oregon State versus No. 1 Seed Stanford at 6 p.m. ET. The winners of both Regional Semifinal matches will meet at 9 p.m. Saturday in the Regional Finals, slated for 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
Florida is riding a 22-match win streak into Friday's clash, the longest streak in the country. The Orange and Blue will be looking to advance to the Regional Finals for the first time since 2011, when UF hosted at home. The Gators have additionally advanced to seven Final Fours and played for the National Championship in 2003.
The Gators are making their 22nd NCAA Regional Semifinals appearance, all under 2014 SEC Coach of the Year and 2014 AVCA Southeast Region Coach of the Year Mary Wise. Florida, the 2014 SEC Champions, had five Gators named to the AVCA Southeast Region team Tuesday, highlighted by Wise and freshman middle Rhamat Alhassan, who was tabbed the Southeast Region Freshman of the Year Tuesday just two weeks after being named the SEC Freshman of the Year. In addition to Alhassan, the nation's hitting efficiency leader, fellow middle Simone Antwi, junior setter Mackenzie Dagostino and sophomore right side Alex Holston were all named to the AVCA Southeast Region Team, while senior libero Holly Pole picked up Southeast Region Honorable Mention accolades her final campaign donning the Orange and Blue.
Wise will have a homecoming of sorts this weekend in Ames, as the 24th-year Florida head coach started her career at Iowa State in 1981. Wise was the youngest head coach in the country at age 21 when the Cyclones hired her following her volleyball career at Purdue. Wise spent four seasons at Iowa State, accumulating a record of 81-63 (.563) in four years as a Cyclone before moving on to Kentucky.
The Gators won the program's 21st SEC title this season after running the table in the SEC for the 13th time in program history, this year with an 18-0 mark. UF is now 27-3 overall this year and making its 25th NCAA Tourney run. With three more wins, UF would notch its 10th 30-win season.
AMES REGIONAL SCHEDULE
· Regional Semifinals | Friday, Dec. 11
· Match 1 (Oregon State vs. No. 1 Seed Stanford) -- 6 p.m. ET (ESPN3)
· Match 2 (No. 9 Seed Illinois vs. No. 8 Seed Florida) -- 8 p.m. ET (ESPN3)
· Regional Finals | Saturday, Dec. 12, 9 p.m. ET (winners of Match 1 & Match 2) (ESPNU)
NCAA REGIONAL SEMIFINALS BROADCAST INFORMATION
Illinois (26-7)
Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN3
Radio: www.wruf.com
FLORIDA | ILLINOIS SERIES HISTORY
Illinois 2014 Record: 26-7
· Series History: Tied, 4-4 (4-1 under Mary Wise)
• 3-set: 3-2; 4-set: 0-1; 5-set: 1-1
• Home: 2-2 | Away: 1-2 | Neutral: 1-0
· Last Time Out: Dec. 10, 2011 at Gainesville | L, 3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 14-25, 20-25)
· NCAA Tournament History: Tied 1-1 (see last time out in 2011 above)
• The Gators defeated the Illini 3-2 (15-8, 7-15, 16-14, 9-15, 15-12) Dec. 3, 1999 in the NCAA Second Round in Gainesville to advance to Regionals
No. 1 Seed Stanford (potential Regional Finals opponent | 9 p.m. Dec. 13)
FLORIDA | STANFORD SERIES HISTORY
· 2014 Record: 31-1
· Series History: Stanford leads, 5-4 (3-5 under Mary Wise)
• 3-set: 2-1; 4-set: 1-2; 5-set: 1-2
• Home: 1-1 | Away: 1-1 | Neutral: 2-3
· Last Time Out: Sept. 7, 2013 at Austin (Nike Big Four) | W, 3-1 (28-26, 25-17, 18-25, 25-22)
· NCAA Tournament History: Stanford leads, 2-0
• Dec. 12, 2008 at Fort Collins | Stanford 3-0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-21) in Regional Semi
• Dec. 4, 2004 at Tallahassee | Stanford 3-2 (25-30, 30-15, 21-30, 30-27, 15-9) in NCAA Second Round
Oregon State (potential Regional Finals opponent | 9 p.m. Dec. 13)
FLORIDA | OREGON STATE SERIES HISTORY
· Should the Gators and Beavers both advance and square off Saturday, it would be the first meeting between the two programs in school history
FLORIDA NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTABLES
· The No. 8 Seed Gators are the lone SEC team still standing in the NCAA Tournament and earned a trip to the Sweet 16 with a sweep over Alabama State and a 3-1 win against Sunshine State opponent Miami Friday and Saturday, respectively, in the NCAA First & Second Rounds
· Florida advances to the Regional Semifinals for the 22nd time in school history, including 22 of 24 years under head coach Mary Wise, and the Gators return to the Regionals for the first time since 2012 after missing out last season
· Florida is 13-8 (.619) all-time in the Regional Semifinals Round and 7-6 (.538) all-time in Regional Finals matches
· Florida has made seven Final Four appearances, last in 2003, when the Gators played for the National Championship
· Florida played for the National Championship in 2003 and last reached a NCAA Regional Final in 2011
· Florida head coach Mary Wise is 60-23 (.723) all-time in the NCAA Tournament, with all postseason appearances occurring at the University of Florida
· The Gators are now 61-24 (.718) all-time in the NCAA Tournament
· Florida's 2014 NCAA Tournament appearance is its 24th consecutive and the 25th in program history and UF played host to opening round contests for the 22nd time in the last 24 years
· No. 8 seed Florida was 9-3 this season against the 2014 NCAA Tournament field during the regular season
· In 2013, the Gators went 1-1 in the NCAA Tournament, sweeping Jacksonville in First Round action (25-19, 25-15, 25-16) before falling in five to FSU (15-25, 25-20, 25-22, 22-25, 9-15) in the Second Round. 2013 marked just the second year under Wise the Gators did not advance to Regionals (2004)
· The 2014 NCAA Volleyball Final Four is slated for December 18 (National Semifinals) & 20 (National Championship) in Oklahoma City, Okla., and will be hosted by the Big 12 Conference and the Oklahoma City All Sports Association at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The National Semifinals and Finals will be broadcast live on ESPN2
· Florida enters the 2014 NCAA Tournament having notched its 24th consecutive 25-win season, and with three wins would have its 10th 30-win season in program history. The Gators downed No. 3 Texas in Austin Nov. 29 to cap of the regular season at 25-3 overall after going an undefeated 18-0 in SEC play to claim the program's 21st SEC Championship. Florida's undefeated SEC season was its 13th in school history
FLORIDA NCAA-TOURNAMENT SPECIFIC NOTABLES
· Florida enters the NCAA Regional round in Ames riding a 22-match win streak, the longest in the country (next Wisconsin 21). Florida has won every match since falling in five to Marquette Sept. 19 at home in the O'Connell Center, including a perfect 18-0 in SEC play
· The Gators last strung together at least a 22-game win streak in 2010 when Florida went an undefeated 20-0 in SEC and continued for 24-straight wins from Sept. 11, 2010-Dec. 4, 2010 before falling short to Purdue in NCAA Tourney play
· The Gators have held 21 of their 2014 opponents to operate below a .197 hitting efficiency. The Gators limited 16 of 18 SEC opponents under .197 and Alabama State's -.013 marked UF's third opponent with a negative efficiency this season
· Florida is 5-2 against top-25 opponents in 2014 and boasts three senior defensive specialists that anchor the team, two of whom are walk-ons (Maddy Monserez & Holly Pole)
· UF ranks second in the nation with a .323 hitting efficiency, paced by freshman Rhamat Alhassan's .471 clip -- which leads the NCAA individually heading into the 2014 NCAA Regional round
· IOWA STATE CONNECTION: At age 21, Mary Wise became the youngest Division I head coach ever hired when she became head coach at Iowa State in 1981 following her undergad career at Purdue. Wise went 81-63 (.563) in four seasons at the helm of the Iowa State program from 1981-84
· BLUE HAIR RIBBONS: In honor of Sophia and sister Andrea, who the team became close with on their annual Thanksgiving trip to Shands/UF Health. Sophia, 10, has cancer and her sister Andrea, 12, was a match for Sophia's bone marrow transplant
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