Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Another thrilling Sunshine Showdown presented by Fresh from Florida, hits the volleyball court Wednesday evening at Tully Gym in Tallahassee when the No. 7 Gators visit the No. 13 Seminoles in what will be the final game of an eight-match road streak to start 2016 for the Gators.
 
First serve is slated for 6 p.m. and volleyball fans can catch the Gators-Seminoles tilt on ACC Network Extra via the WatchESPN app.


 
The Orange and Blue, 6-1 overall and riding a six-match win streak, enter the top-15 clash ranked No. 1 in the nation in hitting efficiency (.370), No. 17 in kills per set (14.26), No. 19 in assists per set (13.39), having held five of its first seven opponents to a .200 clip or lower, including four straight under a .100 efficiency through the heart of the road stretch.
 
FSU, also 6-1 overall on the 2016 campaign, looks to add to its four-match win streak after posting recent victories against Baylor, Florida A&M and Little Rock following the Tallahassee Seminole Tournament last week.
 
Read: UF at FSU Game Notes

The Noles are 1-1 this season against ranked opponents so far, defeating No. 14 Texas A&M in five Sept. 1 before falling to No. 6 Minnesota in four Sept. 3 in a tough Puerto Rico Tournament. UF, 0-1 against ranked foes in 2016, opened the season with defending national champion Nebraska, falling short in four.
 
The Gators lead the history of the series with the Seminoles, 38-19, and own a 12-9 record all-time in Tully Gym. UF defeated FSU twice last season, once in regular-season action and then again in the NCAA Second Round.
 
FLORIDA ENTERING FSU
For the second time in the last three weeks, Gator redshirt sophomore Allie Monserez was named the SEC Setter of the Week. Monserez has Florida's offense clicking on all cylinders with the best hitting efficiency in the nation (.370) entering Wednesday's showdown in Tallahassee.
 
Monserez, who averaged 12.60 assists per set in sweeps of Denver and LIU Brooklyn, was named to the Blackbird Invitational All-Tournament Team alongside Rhamat Alhassan after quarterbacking UF to its second (.437) and third (.389) best hitting efficiencies this season against Denver and LIU Brooklyn, respectively. Alhassan hit a staggering .789 with 15 kills against Denver and Carli Snyder put up her third double-double in just three sets against LIU Brooklyn.
 
Florida has been extremely low error with five straight matches with single-digit attack errors, while limiting service errors and capitalizing with a deep back row and hot hand behind the service line. The Gators have five players with six or more aces through the first seven matches, paced by 0.44 per set from freshman Chanelle Hargreaves.
 
In addition to its national rankings in hitting efficiency, kills per set and assists per set as a team, Monserez ranks seventh in the country with her 11.79 assists per set, Alhassan checks in at No. 11 in hitting efficiency (.438) and Snyder is 35th in the NCAA with 4.17 kills per set to pace UF.
 
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Wednesday, Sept. 14, at No. 13 FSU
ACC Network Extra via WatchESPN | Radio Stream (Tom Collett) + live on ESPN Gainesville 95.3 FM / AM 850 | Live Stats
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
at No. 13 FSU (SEPT. 14) | 6-1 overall in 2016
• Florida leads: 38-19 (31-5 under Mary Wise)
• 3-set: 21-7 | 4-set: 11-5 | 5-set: 6-7
• Home: 23-5 | Away: 12-9 | Neutral: 3-5
• Last Time Out: Dec. 4, 2015 at Gainesville (NCAA Second Round) --> W, 3-1 (23-25, 25-19, 25-23, 25-19)
 
BIG PICTURE
Florida is 6-1 on the season, its lone loss to defending national champion and No. 1 Nebraska in the season opener. The Gators finished the 2015 season 25-7 overall, 13-5 in the SEC (fourth). UF made its 26th NCAA Tournament appearance and owns the fourth-longest streak in the nation for consecutive NCAA appearances. Florida advanced to the program's 15th Elite Eight last season, owns 21 Southeastern Conference Championships and is led by renowned head coach Mary Wise, who is in her 26th season in 2016. Wise is the third-winningest active Division I head coach in the country and owns the most victories among DI women's head coaches. She boasts a career record of 854-159 (.843) and a UF record of 773-96 (.890), has guided Florida to seven Final Fours, a National Championship Match berth in 2003 and has tutored all 35 Florida All-Americans to 90 All-America honors.
 
UP NEXT
At last following eight straight matches on the road, Florida will return home for its home opener when the Gators host the Active Ankle Challenge at the Lemerand Center Sept. 16-17. For more information on parking, tickets and match-ups, visit the Gators' Active Ankle information page. The Gators will first play FAMU at noon Friday before hosting Jacksonville at 7:30 p.m. UF will wrap up with Marshall at 4 p.m. Saturday.
 
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