Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Mary Wise has heard her players speak to how tight this so-far remarkable 2023 Florida volleyball team has become. The chemistry, the closeness, the love and respect for one another is genuine. In her 37 years of coaching, the last 33 with the Gators, she's had teams boast about their bond on and off court. Wise, though, quantifies this squad's harmony differently.
 
"I truly believe that anything you need to know about this team is seen in their celebrations," Wise said. "Watch how they celebrate, how they reconnect, make eye contact. The support they show for one another whether on the court or not, that is real. That is authentic."  

Those observations were articulated Sunday afternoon on the floor of Exactech Arena, moments after eighth-ranked Florida waxed fifth-ranked Minnesota 3-0 before an energetic crowd that watched the Gators dismantle a third top-10 opponent of this young season. Not only is UF unbeaten through four matches, but has sweeps against a pair of top-five teams in the same week for the first time in program history. The Gators have defeated No. 8 Penn State on a neutral court in Tampa, No. 2 Stanford on the road and the No. 5 Golden Gophers in the home opener. That's dominance no matter the venue.
 
Next up for Florida (4-0) is this week's Gators Invitational, set for Thursday-through-Saturday, with Sacramento State, Clemson and Winthrop making up the field). Then comes a trip next week to rival Florida State, followed by – mark it down – a Sept. 17 home date against No. 1-ranked Wisconsin. The Gators figure to be plenty battle-tested when the Southeastern Conference season begins Sept. 22 at Auburn. 
 
Plenty closer, too. 
 
"We had good chemistry last year, but this year it's just more powerful, more impactful with our game, and more consistent," senior outside hitter Sofia Victoria said. "We're all on the same wave length and our energy as a team is insane." Sort of like the Gators' passing and defense, which has been its collective strength to date, and has paired splendidly with their 29-percent kill ratio amassed against some of the best teams in the country. Not even a week into September, there's so much room to grow. 
 
Take last week's match at Stanford. UF was significantly out-hit in Games 2 and 3, with the Cardinal at 41.5 percent and 40.6 percent to the Gators' 37.5 and 35.1, respectively, but Florida out-lasted, out-fought and out-toughed their opponent to win 29-27 in the second game, then 25-23 in the third, doing so in a hostile environment. When the match's final stats were in, UF had a higher percentage of kills despite a significantly lower hitting percentage. That's because the Gators forced the Cardinal into 36 errors with all-around superb play attacking, serving, receiving and blocking. 
 
That was Tuesday night. On Wednesday, the Gators had a 4 a.m. wake-up call for the return trip east, only to have their Atlanta connection back to Gainesville canceled due to weather; namely Idalia. Instead, UF had to bus back home. 
 
"The travel, the delay, the little preparation time, the emotional high. How do you respond?" Wise said. "This team could have used some more down time, but down time wasn't in the cards."
 
Apparently, the players didn't want it, either.

On Saturday, when the coaches rolled in for a video session, there were already a handful of Gators in the gym getting extra reps. 
 
"That's player driven, not coach driven, so I'm going to enjoy this," Wise said, turning her thoughts to the season, as a whole. "It's a ladder and we're trying to get to the next step. This was a big step, playing a team like Minnesota, with all the variables that came with that."
 

That home W feeling 🤩#GoGators pic.twitter.com/vIpQwBbGzB

— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) September 3, 2023

UF entered the season ranked 11^th in the country. The Gators were picked to finish second (behind Kentucky) in the SEC. Graduation and the transfer portal left some questions to be answered, but addition by subtraction can be a thing. The Gators got some high-end, high-impact additions of their own, starting with outside hitter Anna Dixon (by way of Missouri), setter Kennedy Muff (a steadying behind-the-scenes influencer from Division II Flagler College) and 6-foot-7 freshman sensation Kennedy Martin, whose 76 kills (at 36.3 percent) are more than twice as many as her next-closest teammate. 
 
As senior AC Fitzpatrick put, "We have all the tools in the tool box." 
 
They also, by all accounts, have all the right chemistry in that box. And it's genuine.

"I have never been on a team that is so close and there for each other," Fitzpatrick said. 
 
Want proof? Just take note, next time, of their celebrations. Opportunities to do so figure to be plentiful.