Florida Gators volleyball to take on FSU in NCAA first round

Special report on the Florida Gators volleyball team:

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Gators will travel to Orlando, Fla. for the first & second rounds of the NCAA Tournament, as announced during Sunday night’s selection show.

The Gators will play Florida State on Thursday, Nov. 29 at 4:30 p.m. UCF and Florida Gulf Coast make up the remainder of the bracket and will play at 7 p.m. on Thursday night.

The winner of Florida vs. FSU will face the winner of UCF vs. FGCU on Friday night at 7 p.m.

Florida finished the 2018 season with a 24-6 record overall and a 15-3 record in conference play.

This is the first time since the 2011 season that the Gators will not host the first & second rounds in Gainesville, Fla. Florida defeated Missouri in the first round that year, then took down host UNI to move on the regional semifinal in Gainesville, Fla.

Tickets can be located at UCF Ticket Office’s website.

 

ORLANDO FIRST & SECOND ROUNDS SCHEDULE (all times Eastern)

  • First Round Matches | Thursday, Nov. 29

o    Match 1 (Florida vs. Florida State) – 4:30 p.m.

o    Match 2 (FGCU vs. UCF) – 7 p.m.

  • Second Round Matches | Friday, Nov. 30

o    Winner of  Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2 – 7 p.m.

LINKS

FLORIDA NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTABLES

  • The Gators are 6-6 this season against the 2018 NCAA Tournament Field
  • Florida’s 28 all-time NCAA Tournament ties Arizona for the 10th-most in Division I history, trailing Penn State (38) Stanford (38), Hawaii (37), Nebraska (37), Southern California (36), UCLA (36), Texas (35), BYU (31), Colorado State (30)
  • The Gators have made 24 Regional Semifinals and 15 Regional Championships in program history
  • Florida is seeking its ninth all-time NCAA semifinals appearance, looking to make back-to-back trips
  • Florida head coach Mary Wise boasts a 70-27 (.722) all-time record in the NCAA Tournament, with all her postseason appearances coming with the Gators
  • The Gators carry a 71-28 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament
  • UF is 4-7 on the road in the NCAA Tournament, but 21-0 in the first round and 24-4 in the second round

SCOUTING THE FIRST & SECOND ROUND

UCF | 27-3 overall, 18-0 American Athletic Conference

  • Florida leads: 19-0 (7-0 under Mary Wise)
  • 3-set: 13-0 | 4-set: 5-0 | 5-set: 2-0
  • Home: 9-0 | Away: 7-0 | Neutral: 3-0
  • NCAA Tournament series: Florida leads, 2-0
  • Last Time Out: Sept. 2, 2018 | Gainesville, Fla. | W, 3-1 (26-24, 17-25, 25-23, 25-17)
  • Notable: AAC Champions (18-0); Have not lost a match since the outing against Florida in the Bubly Invitational

 

Florida State | 19-9 overall, 11-2 Atlantic Coast Conference

  • Florida leads: 41-20 (34-6 under Mary Wise)
  • 3-set: 22-7 | 4-set: 13-5 | 5-set: 6-8
  • Home: 24-6 | Away: 14-9 | Neutral: 3-5
  • NCAA Tournament series: Florida leads, 3-2
  • Last Time Out: Sept. 12, 2018 | Tallahassee, Fla. | W, 3-1 (25-22, 25-22, 16-25, 25-19)
  • Notable: 23rd all-time NCAA Tournament appearance and 10th consecutive trip

 

Florida Gulf Coast  | 26-6 overall, 15-1 ASUN

  • 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
  • NCAA Tournament series: 0-0
  • Last Time Out: Aug. 25, 2012 | Gainesville, Fla. | W, 3-0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-16)

Notable: This is the first NCAA Tournament Appearance for FCGU

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.