Special report on the Florida Gators volleyball team:
AUSTIN, Texas – The 12th-ranked Florida volleyball team continues its NCAA Tournament run with a Regional Semifinal matchup against No. 7 Minnesota on Friday.
First serve is slated for 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT on ESPN3. Courtney Lyle and Salima Rockwell will be on the call.
Tickets for both the regional semifinal and the regional final can be found at the Texas Ticket Office.
This is the 26th time that the Gators have reached the Regional Semifinal Round – all coming under head coach Mary Wise. The team holds a 16-9 record in regional semifinal matches and is looking to make it back to the regional final for the first time since the 2017 season.
Florida (27-4) trails Minnesota (25-5) in the overall series, 1-4. The teams have met just once in the NCAA Tournament, back in 2006 – where the Gators lost in four sets.
These two teams met earlier this season on Sept. 7 in Minneapolis. The Golden Gophers were victorious in the match, taking the contest in straight-sets.
During the first two matches of the NCAA Tournament, the Gators have not dropped a set, hitting .395 along the way. The squad is also holding opponents to a .137 clip. Paige Hammons is leading the way with 4.83 kills per set, while Rachael Kramer is right behind, hitting .636 while averaging 3.83 kills per set.
HOW TO FOLLOW – No. 12 Florida vs. No. 7 Minnesota
Time & Date: Friday, Dec. 13 | 6:30 p.m. ET
Live Stream: ESPN3
Live Stats: NCAA.com
Tickets: Texas Ticket Office
SERIES INFORMATION
Minnesota | 25-5 overall, 17-3 BIG TEN
- Florida trails: 1-4 (1-3 under Mary Wise)
- 3-set: 1-1 | 4-set: 0-2 | 5-set: 0-1
- Home: 1-2 | Away: 0-2 | Neutral: 0-0
- NCAA Tournament series: Florida trails, 1-0
- Last Time Out: Sept. 7, 2019 | Minneapolis, Minn. | L, 0-3 (20-25, 17-25, 22-25)
SCOUTING THE REST OF THE AUSTIN FIELD
Texas | 23-3 overall, 15-1 BIG 12
- Florida leads: 15-10 (15-9 under Mary Wise)
- 3-set: 3-4 | 4-set: 4-3 | 5-set: 8-3
- Home: 7-4 | Away: 6-4 | Neutral: 2-2
- NCAA Tournament series: Florida leads, 5-4
- Last Time Out: Aug. 25, 2018 | Lincoln, Neb. | L, 2-3 (18-25, 25-21, 25-21, 21-25, 10-15)
Louisville | 21-9 overall, 12-6 ACC
- Florida leads: 8-0 (6-0 under Mary Wise)
- 3-set: 6-0 | 4-set: 1-0 | 5-set: 1-0
- Home: 5-0 | Away: 1-0 | Neutral: 2-0
- NCAA Tournament series: 2-0
- Last Time Out: Aug. 30, 2019 | Louisville, Ky. | W, 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-21)
AUSTIN THIRD & FOURTH ROUNDS SCHEDULE (all times Eastern)
- Regional Semifinal Matches | Friday, Dec. 13
- Match 1 – No. 2 Texas vs. Louisville – 4:00 p.m. – ESPNU
- Match 2 – No. 7 BYU vs. No. 10 Florida – 6:30 p.m. – ESPN3
- Regional Final Match | Saturday, Dec. 14
- Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2 – 8:00 p.m. – ESPNU
FLORIDA NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTABLES
- This is Florida’s 29th-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament – making the field every year under Mary Wise
- Overall, the Gators have been in the NCAA Tournament 30 times in the program’s history (since 1984)
- Florida has made 26 Regional Semifinals under Wise
- The Gators are 9-4 this season against the 2019 NCAA Tournament Field
- Florida has now earned its 29th consecutive NCAA Tournament berth, the fourth best active streak in the nation: Penn State (39), Stanford (39), Nebraska (37), Florida (29)
- The Gators have made 15 Regional Championships in program history
- Florida is seeking its ninth all-time NCAA semifinals appearance, looking to make it back for the first time since 2017
- Florida head coach Mary Wise boasts a 74-28 (.725) all-time record in the NCAA Tournament, with all her postseason appearances coming with the Gators
- The Gators carry a 75-29 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament