No. 3 Gators Seeking SEC Title at Missouri

Saturday, November 25

Columbia, MO

2:30 PM

Florida Gators

Missouri

Florida needs a win to clinch a share of the SEC title and keep itself in the conversation for a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed.

No. 3 Gators Seeking SEC Title at Missouri

Friday, November 24, 2017 | Volleyball

Florida is a win away from its 23rd SEC title

By: Zach Dirlam

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida (24-1, 16-1 SEC) can clinch a share of its 23rd Southeastern Conference title with a victory at Missouri (20-10, 13-4) Saturday afternoon. The match will also be significant for the Gators' NCAA Tournament seeding, as they are in contention for one of the four coveted No. 1 seeds.

If the Gators win Saturday, their 23 league titles would be the 10th-most in SEC history across all sports, regardless of gender. Moreover, since the league's first volleyball season in 1979, Florida's 23 SEC titles would be the fourth-most in any sport, regardless of gender.

Another significant storyline: Florida head coach Mary Wise enters Saturday with 899 career victories. A win would make her the third female head coach in NCAA history to reach the 900-win plateau.

Florida and Missouri met roughly two weeks ago in Gainesville, with the Gators grinding out a 3-1 victory on senior day.

The Gators continue to be the only team in the nation with three wins over current top-8 teams in the RPI and, at the time of publication, are tied with Kentucky atop the SEC standings. Should the two share the SEC title and be crowned co-champions, Florida holds the tiebreaker for the league's "automatic qualifying" berth for the NCAA Tournament by way of winning four sets compared to three in the two head-to-head matchups with Kentucky.

BROADCAST INFORMATION | Match Notes
Saturday, Nov. 25 at Missouri | 2:30 p.m. ET
Streaming: SEC Network + (via Watch ESPN) | Radio: Audio Stream [Tom Collett] | Live Stats

The @GatorsVB nation doesn't want to miss out on today's @NCAAVolleyball roundup with this feature on Rhamat Alhassan @ra_montie and @carli_snyder as @UF heads into its @SEC finale and readies to the #NCAAVB tournament: https://t.co/nA7FpG99bd pic.twitter.com/F1unFnSXb4
— VolleyballMag.com (@VBMagazine) November 24, 2017

NOTABLE NEWS & NUMBERS (national and SEC stat rankings updated through Nov. 20)

Florida is one of four teams (Nebraska, Texas, Wichita State) ranked in the top 20 nationally in hitting percentage and opponent hitting percentage
Florida is one of four teams (Kentucky, San Diego, Wisconsin) with two players ranked inside the top 20 nationally in hitting percentage
The Gators lead the nation in opponent hitting percentage (.125) and are on track to finish with a season average below .135 for the first time since 2003, and fifth time since 1997
Florida has held its opponents below a .100 clip in 34 of 87 sets this season (39.1 percent)
The Gators rank third nationally in blocks per set (3.20), have 10-plus blocks in 19 of their 25 matches, and are on pace for their highest blocks per set average since 2006 (3.39)
Rhamat Alhassan leads the nation in blocks per set (1.80) and ranks 18th in hitting percentage (.401)
- Only one player in the nation since 2010 has finished a season with at least a 1.70 blocks per set average and a .395 hitting percentage: Haley Warner, BYU, 2012 (1.80 / .423)
Alhassan's 1.80 blocks per set average is on pace to break Jenni Patterson's (1989) school record (1.79)
Rachael Kramer ranks ninth nationally and leads the SEC in hitting percentage (.424)
Kramer also ranks seventh in the SEC and tied for 76th nationally in blocks per set (1.18)
Carli Snyder is tied for fourth nationally and leads the SEC in service aces per set (0.54)
Caroline Knop ranks second in the SEC and 66th nationally in digs per set (4.73)
Knop's 4.73 digs per set average would be the fourth-best single-season average in school history
Shainah Joseph remains seventh in the SEC in hitting percentage (.345) and is hitting .413 with 86 kills in her last eight matches
Cheyenne Huskey is tied for fifth in the SEC and tied for 72nd nationally in blocks per set (1.19)
- Huskey is the only setter ranked higher than 214th nationally

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Missouri (20-10, 13-4 SEC) | 2016 synopsis: 27-6 overall, 16-2 SEC (co-champions); NCAA Regional Semifinalist

Series History: Florida leads, 6-4 (6-4 under Mary Wise)
3-set: 4-1 | 4-set: 2-1 | 5-set: 0-2
Home: 4-1 | Away: 1-3 | Neutral: 1-0
Last Time Out: Nov. 12, 2017 in Gainesville à W, 3-1 (25-16, 23-25, 26-24, 25-16)