Gators Pick Up No. 11 National Seed, Host FSU, ASU and UNH Dec. 3 & 4 in NCAA First & Second Rounds
Monday, November 30, 2015 | Volleyball
2014 NCAA Volleyball Interactive Bracket
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- For the 25th consecutive year, the Gators are going dancing. Florida will play host to the NCAA First & Second Rounds at home in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center Dec. 3 & 4, announced Sunday evening on the NCAA Selection Show on ESPNU. After compiling a 22-6 overall record, a 13-5 mark in SEC play, the Gators picked up the No. 11 National Seed and will play host to Florida State (24-7), Arizona State (19-12) and New Hampshire (21-8) Thursday and Friday in the O'Dome.
Florida State and Arizona State will get the action started Thursday at 4:30 p.m., while the Gators and New Hampshire Wildcats take to the court in the nightcap at 7 p.m. The winners of each first round match square off Friday at 7 p.m. The four Gainesville sub-regional participants are vying for a berth in the Austin Regional, which will take place Dec. 11-12 at Gregory Gym. The Regional Semifinals in Austin will stream live on ESPN3, while the Regional Final will air live on ESPNU.
Florida is hosting First & Second Round action in the O'Connell Center for the 23rd time in the last 25 years, having maintained a top-five ranking in the NCAA RPI all season. UF is 48-7 when hosting NCAA action in Gainesville and the Gators enter the NCAA tournament first in the nation in hitting efficiency (.317), 19th in opponent efficiency (.160), 20th in kills per set (14.31) and 21st in blocks per set (2.79). UF sophomore middle Rhamat Alhassan ranks third in the country in blocks per set (1.63) and ninth in hitting percentage (.424). Senior setter Mackenzie Dagostino is 13th in the nation in assists per set (11.46) and senior middle Simone Antwi is 25th in the country in efficiency at .398.
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 (Nov. 30) online and at the Gator Ticket Office, located between Gates 1 & 2 of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
All-Session: $10.00 for Adults; $6 senior citizens; $5 children 12 & under
Single-Session: $7 Adults; $5 for senior citizens; $4 children 12 & under
*FLORIDA STUDENTS WITH GATOR1 ID RECEIVE FREE ADMISSION*
GAINESVILLE SUB-REGIONAL SCHEDULE
· First Round Matches | Thursday, Dec. 3
· Match 1 (Arizona State vs. Florida State) -- 4:30 p.m.
· Match 2 (New Hampshire vs. Florida) -- 7 PM
· Second Round Match | Friday, Dec. 4, 7 PM (winners of Match 1 & Match 2)
NCAA FIRST & SECOND ROUND INFORMATION & LINKS
Media Contacts: Kelly Reynolds (KellyR@gators.ufl.edu) & Grace Duggan (GraceD@gators.ufl.edu)
MEDIA NOTE: If you were credentialed for the University of Florida regular season, you will automatically be credentialed for the NCAA Tournament First & Second Rounds in Gainesville. Your credential will be available at Will Call (Gate 1 of the O'Dome) one hour prior to first serve of Thursday's matches. *Any different or additional credential requests are due to Grace Duggan by NOON (ET) Tuesday, December 1, 2015*
Florida was 6-4 during the regular season against the NCAA Tournament field, including a 3-1 victory against FSU Sept. 20 at home, a potential Second Round opponent for the Gators. Florida State was the 2015 runner-up in the ACC, the UNH Wildcats were winners of the America East for the third straight year, and Arizona State finished seventh in a tough Pac 12 Conference.
Four SEC teams made the 2015 tournament field, including the No. 10 overall seed Texas A&M, No. 11 seed Florida, Missouri and Kentucky.
NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTABLES
· No. 11 seed Florida was 6-4 this season against the 2015 NCAA Tournament field
· The Gators have made 22 Regional Semifinals in school history and 14 Regional Finals
· Florida has made seven Final Four appearances and played for the National Championship in 2003
· The Gators' 2015 NCAA Tournament appearance is its 25th consecutive and the 26th in program history
· Florida head coach Mary Wise is 61-24 (.718) all-time in the NCAA Tournament, with all postseason appearances occurring at the University of Florida
· The Gators are 62-25 (.713) all-time in the NCAA Tournament
· UF is 48-7 (.873) all-time at home in NCAA Tournament play
· Last season in 2014, the Gators went 3-1 in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the program's 14h NCAA Regional Final against Stanford before the Cardinal took the match in three sets to advance to the National Semifinals
· The 2015 NCAA Volleyball Final Four is slated for December 17 (National Semifinals at 7 & 9:30 ET) & 19 (National Championship at 7:30 ET) in Omaha, Neb., at CenturyLink Center. The National Semifinals and Finals will be broadcast live on ESPN2. This year marks the 35th annual Division I Women's Volleyball Championship and the third time the state of Nebraska will host the championship (2006, 2008)
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