Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 9 Gators, who remained No. 5 in the latest NCAA RPI Rankings, enter Wednesday (Nov. 23) night's home finale against Auburn looking to move within one victory of clinching no less than a share of the program's 22nd Southeastern Conference title.
 
Florida trials SEC leader Kentucky (15-2 in SEC play) by a half-game, and is tied for second place with Missouri (14-2). The Gators can clinch a share of the title by winning each of its final two games, or with a win and losses by Kentucky and Missouri, both of which play Wednesday night matches as well. Missouri concludes its regular season on Saturday.
 
Prior to Sunday's (Nov. 20) loss at then-No. 25 Missouri, UF had hit .350 or higher in eight consecutive matches, its longest streak since 2003. It had also held 11 opponents under a .100 clip, the most times it has done that since 2006, though the Gators allowed the Tigers to hit .331, marking only the second time this year their opponent hit above .300.
 
Florida split its series with Auburn last season, sweeping the Tigers in Gainesville and dropping a five-set affair on the road. Last year's loss snapped the program's 41-match winning streak in the series.

 
PROMOTIONS: Florida volleyball and the University Athletic Association has partnered with UF ROTC to collect toys to be donated to Toys for Tots. You can bring any donations to the marketing table, located inside the entrance to the Gale Lemerand Athletic Center.
 

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Wednesday, Nov. 23, vs. Auburn | 8 p.m. ET
TV: Live on SEC Network (Courtney Lyle & Missy Whittemore) | Stream: Watch ESPN | Radio Stream (Tom Collett & Josh Crow) + live on ESPN Gainesville (95.3 FM / AM 850) | Live Stats
 

FLORIDA NATIONALLY ENTERING THIS WEEK

• UF is the only team in the nation ranked in the top 25 in hitting percentage (first, .337), assists per set (sixth, 13.60), kills per set (20th, 14.31), blocks per set (21st, 2.68) and opponent hitting percentage (23rd, .163).
  • Three other teams accomplished this feat in the last three seasons: Hawaii (2015 – NCAA Regional Finalist), Washington (2015 – NCAA Regional Finalist), and Penn State (2014 – NCAA Champion).
• Florida leads the nation in hitting efficiency (.337) for a ninth straight week.
  • The next-closest hitting percentage to Florida is Western Kentucky's .311 clip, and Nebraska (.300) is the only other team hitting .300 or higher.
• UF's current clip of .337 would be the sixth-highest hitting percentage by a Division I team since 2008, when the current 25-point scoring system was adopted.
  • Of the teams currently holding the six highest clips during that span, only the 2013 Missouri Tigers (.356) failed to reach the NCAA Semifinals.
• The Gators have only finished two seasons with a clip higher than .320—2003 (.332), when it reached the NCAA Championship match, and 2013, when it bowed out in the second round.
• Florida's opponent hitting percentage sits at .163, which ranks 23rd nationally. Back on Oct. 3, the Gators were ranked 60th nationally.
  • Only one team since 2010 finished the year with a clip higher than .320 and an opponent clip below .170: the 2014 Penn State Nittany Lions, who won the national title
• Junior All-American middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan ranks fourth nationally in hitting percentage (.431) and 13th in blocks per set (1.45), making her the only player in the nation ranked in the top 20 of both categories.
• Alhassan was also the only player to rank in the top 15 of both those categories last season
  • Penn State's Katie Slay (2011 & 2013), a three-time All-American, is the only other player since 2010 to end the year ranked in the top 15 of both categories multiple times.
• Redshirt sophomore setter Allie Monserez leads the nation in assists per set (12.24) for an ninth straight week, and no other player in the country is averaging better than 11.96 assists per set.
  • The last Gator to finish a season with more than 11.65 assists per set was Angie McGinnis, who averaged 13.88 assists per set in 2007.
  • Missouri's Molly Kreklow (2013) is the only player in SEC history to finish a season as the national leader in assists per set.

 
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Auburn | 15-14 overall, 9-7 SEC

• Florida leads: 44-2 (40-1 under Mary Wise)
• 3-set: 34-0 | 4-set: 8-1 | 5-set: 2-1
• Home: 21-0 | Away: 20-2 | Neutral: 3-0
• Last Time Out: Nov. 8, 2015 at Auburn --> L, 2-3 (22-25, 25-16, 26-24, 21-25, 16-18)
• Notable: UF has not lost a set against Auburn at home since 2008 (seven straight sweeps)

FOLLOW FLORIDA VOLLEYBALL | 2016 UF Volleyball Media Supplement
FloridaGators.com
Twitter
Instagram
Coach Mary Wise on Twitter | Coach Mary Wise on Instagram
Facebook