NCAA Volleyball First & Second Rounds Information: No. 8 Seed Gators Host Miami, UCF & Alabama State Dec. 5-6
Thursday, December 4, 2014 | Volleyball
2014 NCAA Volleyball Interactive Bracket
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The SEC Champion Gators picked up the No. 8 overall seed in the 2014 NCAA Volleyball Tournament, announced Sunday evening on ESPNU, marking the 24th consecutive season the Gators are going dancing. The Orange and Blue will play host to Alabama State (20-18), UCF (25-7) and Miami (Fla.) (21-8) Friday and Saturday, Dec. 5-6, in the NCAA First & Second Rounds at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
UCF and Miami will get the action started Friday at 4:30 p.m., while the Gators and Alabama State Lady Hornets take to the court in the nightcap at 7 p.m. The winners of each first round match square off Saturday at 7 p.m. for a shot to advance to the Ames, Iowa, Regional site at Hilton Coliseum Dec. 12-13.
TICKET INFORMATION | Gainesville First & Second Rounds
Tickets for the NCAA First & Second Rounds in Gainesville will go on sale at 8:30 a.m. Monday morning (Dec. 1) online and at the Gator Ticket Office, located between Gates 1 & 2 of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
All-Session: $10.00 for Adults, $6 for students & senior citizens; $5 children 12 & under
Single-Session: $7 Adults; $5 for students & senior citizens; $4 children 12 & under
*FLORIDA STUDENTS WITH GATOR1 ID RECEIVE FREE ADMISSION*
PARKING INFORMATION
Due to a number of events on the University of Florida campus both Friday and Saturday evening, volleyball fans can take advantage of a free parking shuttle, which will run from the commuter lot on the southwest corner of Gale Lemerand Drive and Museum Road. Shuttle service for the NCAA Volleyball First Round will begin at 4 p.m. Friday, while the Second Round shuttle will begin at 5 p.m. Saturday evening.
GAINESVILLE SUB-REGIONAL SCHEDULE
· First Round Matches | Friday, Dec. 5
· Match 1 (Miami vs. UCF) – 4:30 p.m.
· Match 2 (Alabama State vs. Florida) – 7 PM
· Second Round Match | Saturday, Dec. 6, 7 PM (winners of Match 1 & Match 2)
NCAA FIRST & SECOND ROUND LINKS
Media Contacts: Kelly Reynolds (KellyR@gators.ufl.edu) & Will Pantages (WillP@gators.ufl.edu)
*Credential Requests are due to Will Pantages by NOON (ET) Wednesday, December 3, 2014*
Florida was 9-3 during the regular season against the NCAA Tournament field, including a 3-1 victory against UCF Sept. 21, a potential Second Round opponent for the Gators. In Alabama State and UCF, Florida will host the SWAC and American Athletic Conference Champions, respectively, while Miami finished the 2014 campaign fourth in the ACC standings. Five SEC teams made the 2014 tournament field, including the No. 13 overall seed Kentucky, Texas A&M, LSU and Alabama along with the Gators.
Florida's 2014 opening-round bid marks the 22nd time in the last 24 years that the Gators have played host to opening-round contests, and the Gators are 46-7 when hosting NCAA action in Gainesville. The four Gainesville sub-regional participants are vying for a berth in the Ames Regional, which will take place Dec. 12-13 at Hilton Coliseum. The Regional Semifinals in Ames will stream live on ESPN3, while the Regional Final will air live on ESPNU.
NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTABLES
· No. 8 seed Florida was 9-3 this season against the 2014 NCAA Tournament field
· The Gators have made 20 Regional Semifinals in school history
· Florida has made seven Final Four appearances
· The Gators' 2014 NCAA Tournament appearance is its 24th consecutive and the 25th in program history
· Florida head coach Mary Wise is 58-23 (.716) all-time in the NCAA Tournament, with all postseason appearances occurring at the University of Florida
· The Gators are 59-24 (.711) all-time in the NCAA Tournament
· UF is 46-7 (.868) all-time at home in NCAA Tournament play
· 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)
· Florida played for the National Championship in 2003 and last reached a NCAA Regional Final in 2011
· 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. The Gators downed No. 3 Texas in Austin Saturday 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
FOLLOW THE GATORS | In the Polls | NCAA RPI
