No. 5 Florida Welcomes Ole Miss, Kentucky to Gainesville to Open SEC Play

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Conference play is here and every SEC school has a fresh 0-0 record entering the league slate. The No. 5 Gators will open the 2015 SEC season at home this year Friday and Sunday against Ole Miss and No. 24 Kentucky in the O'Dome.

While football faithful will #WearBlue Saturday in The Swamp against Tennessee, volleyball fans that invade the O'Dome this weekend are encouraged to #WearOrange Friday and Sunday.

The Gators and Rebels take to the court at 7 p.m. in a SEC Network + match Friday, while No. 5 Florida and No. 24 Kentucky will clash in a top-25 match Sunday on the SEC Network at 1 p.m.

PROMOTIONS

Friday, Sept. 25

· Gator Football Tailgate | Any fan who presents a valid Gator Football vs. Tennessee ticket will receive free admission to the Gators vs. Rebels volleyball match

· Croakies | Free Gator Volleyball croakies to the first 500 fans!

Sunday, Sept. 27

· Kid's Day at the Dome | Sundays are Kids Days at Florida Volleyball Matches. Stop by the Kids Corner to meet your favorite mascots, spirit squads, play games, make posters and partake other exciting promotions. Located on the inter concourse between gates 3 and 4

· Lunch Boxes | The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a Gator Volleyball Lunch Bag!

The Gators, picked to win the SEC this year, racked up their 13th undefeated SEC season last year to win the program's 21st conference championship. While a one-match-at-a-time mentality is Florida's approach, the Gators have their sights set on a 22nd SEC title in the second portion of the season after going 8-1 through a tough non-conference slate that featured four top-20 tilts and seven road matches.

After debuting in the O'Dome Sept. 17 with a sweep against St. John's, the No. 5 Gators improved to 3-1 against ranked opponents this season with a 3-1 victory over Sunshine State rival No. 18 FSU in another thrilling match up. After the Noles battled to grab set one 25-22, Florida rebounded to win the next three 25-18, 25-21, 25-20 in another thrilling Gators vs. Seminoles clash.

Florida enters SEC play at 8-1 overall on the season, with a five-set loss to then-No. 16 Hawaii the only blemish. Against the Seminoles, Florida middles Rhamat Alhassan and Simone Antwi combined for 26 kills, 15 blocks and senior Nikki O'Rourke had 24 digs, one shy of her career-high 25. Florida out-blocked FSU 15-6 and notched double-digit blocks for the eighth time in the first nine matches of the season. UF's best blocking effort came against Texas (16.5).

UF opens SEC play with high expectations after going an undefeated 18-0 last year behind Player of the Year efforts from Alex Holston and Freshman of the Year performances from Alhassan. Mary Wise was the SEC Coach of the Year for the 14th time as UF racked up its 21st SEC championship in her 24 years at the helm of the program. UF put together an undefeated SEC schedule for the 13th time in school history.

NOTABLES | Head Coach Mary Wise Media Availability

· The Gators are an undefeated 39-0 against the Rebels under head coach Mary Wise. In the UF-Kentucky series, Florida has won five straight and nine of the last 10 match-ups between the two squads

· Florida ranks No. 2 in the nation in blocks per set (3.18), No. 4 in hitting efficiency (.329), No. 12 in kills per set (14.48) and No. 15 in assists per set (13.36) entering Friday's match vs. Ole Miss

· Gator sophomore middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan paces the nation with 2.24 blocks per set and ranks third in the NCAA in overall blocks with 74 total on the season so far. Alhassan also checks in third in the country in hitting efficiency at .480. Senior middle Simone Antwi ranks sixth in the nation with her .453 clip. Senior setter Mackenzie Dagostino ranks 13th in the NCAA with 11.41 assists per set

· Florida is 3-1 against top-25 opponents so far this season and will face its fifth in No. 24 Kentucky Sunday

· Last time out at Kentucky on Nov. 16, Florida won at least a share of the 2014 league crown with a 3-1 win, while UF's 3-1 win the following Friday at Ole Miss (Nov. 21) made the Gators SEC Champions outright.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Florida has just one season remaining before the Stephen C. O'Connell Center undergoes a face lift. Renovations to the O'Dome are slated to begin in spring 2016 and are scheduled to be complete in December 2016. UF will play the 2016 volleyball season at Santa Fe College in Gainesville.

· Overall home record: 449-62 (.878)

· Overall home record under Mary Wise: 390-27 (.935)

· UF owns nine perfect home seasons in the O'Dome: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005 & 2008

· The Gators are a staggering 48-7 all-time at home in the NCAA Tournament

FLORIDA VS OLE MISS BROADCAST INFORMATION

Ole Miss Rebels (Sept. 25)

Time: 7:00 p.m. ET

Live Stream: SEC Network +

Radio: ESPN Gainesville

Live Stats: Sidearm Stats

No. 5 UF | OLE MISS SERIES HISTORY

· 2015 Record: 14-1