Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The 11th-seeded Gators, fresh off clinching a share of their 22nd SEC title last weekend, open their 26th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance Friday (Dec. 2) against Alabama State at the Gale Lemerand Athletic Center.
 
First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
 
UF will also host the Cincinnati-Florida State matchup, which is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. The winners of both matches will face each other on Saturday (Dec. 3) at 7:30 p.m., with the victory earning a spot in the Regional Semifinals.
 
This is Florida's 27th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance, tying Long Beach State for the 12th-highest total in Division I history. Its 26 straight appearances also tie the fourth-longest streak in history.
 
Parking is available, free of charge, in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center lot across from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium beginning at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Campus-wide parking restrictions on all lots will be lifted at 5 p.m. on Friday and will not be in effect at any point on Saturday.
 
GATORS BROADCAST INFORMATION
Friday, Dec. 2, vs. Alabama State | 7 p.m. ET
Live Stream: SEC Network + (Tom Collett & Missy Whittemore) | Radio Stream (Daniel Gillman & Josh Crow) | Live Stats
 

CINCINNATI-FLORIDA STATE BROADCAST INFORMATION
Friday, Dec. 2 | 4:30 p.m. ET
Live Stream: ESPN3 | Live Stats
 

MEDIA INFORMATION
Media Contact: Zach Dirlam (ZachD@gators.ufl.edu) | Media Services/Credentialing Information (PDF)
 

• Florida Volleyball NCAA Tournament Record Book
• 2016 Florida Volleyball Media Supplement
• Interactive NCAA Tournament Bracket
• NCAA Tournament Bracket (PDF)
• Regional Bracket (PDF)

 

• L. Gale Lemerand Athletic Center
• Alabama State Volleyball
• Cincinnati Notes (PDF)
• Florida State Notes (PDF)

 
CREDENTIALING NOTE: If you were credentialed for the University of Florida regular season, you were automatically credentialed for the NCAA Tournament First & Second Rounds in Gainesville. Your credential will be available at Will Call (inside Gale Lemerand Athletic Center) one hour prior to first serve of Friday's matches.
 

FLORIDA NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTABLES

• Florida was 6-3 this season against the 2016 NCAA Tournament field.
• The Gators have made 23 Regional Semifinals and 15 Regional Championships in program history.
• Florida is seeking its eighth all-time NCAA Semifinals appearance and its first since 2003, when it played in the NCAA Championship match.
• Florida head coach Mary Wise boasts a 64-25 (.719) all-time record in the NCAA Tournament, with all of her 26 postseason appearances coming with the Gators.
• Florida is 50-7 (.877) when hosting NCAA Tournament matches in Gainesville.

 
FLORIDA NATIONALLY ENTERING THE TOURNAMENT

• UF is the only team in the nation ranked in the top 25 in hitting percentage (first, .335), assists per set (fourth, 13.68), kills per set (10th, 14.40), blocks per set (20th, 2.68) and opponent hitting percentage (25th, .166).
  • Three other teams (Hawaii, 2015; Washington, 2015; Penn State, 2014) have accomplished this in the last three seasons, and each of them advanced to the Regional Finals.
• Florida leads the nation in hitting percentage (.335) for a 10^th consecutive week and is one of only three teams hitting above .300.
• The Gators' current clip of .335 would tie the sixth-highest hitting percentage by any Division I team since 2008, when the current 25-point scoring format was adopted.
  • Of the teams currently holding the top six spots during that span, only the 2013 Missouri Tigers, who hit .356, failed to reach the NCAA Semifinals.
• Along with its .335 clip on offense, Florida is holding its opponents to a .166 clip this season. 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.
• Rhamat Alhassan ranks sixth nationally in hitting percentage (.422) and ninth in blocks per set (.145), making her the only player in the nation ranked in the top 15 in both those categories.
  • BYU's Nicole Warner (2012) is the only other player since 2011 to finish a season ranked in the top 10 in both categories.
• Alex Holston is tied for 38th nationally in hitting percentage (.365), making Florida one of four teams (Dayton, San Diego, Southern Illinois) in the nation with two qualifying players hitting .365 or higher.
  • Five of last year's NCAA Tournament teams (Florida, Kansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Washington) had two such players—all but Texas A&M reached the Regional Final, and two of the five reached the NCAA Semifinals.
• Allie Monserez leads the nation in assists per set (12.29) for a 10th straight week, and no other player in the country is averaging more than 11.93 assists per set.

 
SCOUTING THE HORNETS
Alabama State | 24-8 overall, 18-0 SWAC

• Florida leads: 1-0 (1-0 under Mary Wise)
• 3-set: 1-0 | 4-set: 0-0 | 5-set: 0-0
• Home: 1-0 | Away: 0-0 | Neutral: 0-0
• Last Time Out: 2014 NCAA Tournament First Round at Gainesville --> W, 3-0 (25-13, 25-12, 25-12)
• Notable: SWAC Tournament champions; won 20-plus matches each of the past four seasons; first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014; rank second nationally in opponent hitting percentage (.126) and 18th in aces per set (1.64); junior middle blocker Briana Dorsey ranks 10th nationally in hitting percentage (.416).

 
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