Special report on the Florida Gators volleyball team:
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida, which won a share of the program’s 23rd Southeastern Conference title Saturday afternoon, was awarded the No. 2 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament Sunday night, as the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Selection Committee revealed the 64-team field during an ESPNU television broadcast.
This is the seventh time in program history and first time since 2010 the Gators earned an overall top-4 seed, and it ensures Gainesville will be one of four regional hosts should they win their first and second round matches—which will also be played inside Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
The Gators advanced to the NCAA Semifinals four of the previous six times they were an overall top-4 seed, including in 2003, when they reached the NCAA Championship.
Florida hosts its NCAA First & Second Round matches Thursday and Friday. The Gators will face Alabama State—their NCAA First Round opponent from 2016—Thursday at 7 p.m., while College of Charleston and Miami will square off at 4:30 p.m. The winners face one another Friday at 7 p.m.
All ticket information, media and credentialing information, as well as information about the three other teams traveling to Gainesville this week are below.
TICKET INFORMATION | Gainesville First & Second Rounds / Regional
Tickets for the NCAA First & Second Rounds, as well as the potential NCAA Regional Semifinals and Championship in Gainesville will go on sale Monday online (follow this link for purchasing) and at the Gator Ticket Office, located between Gates 1 & 2 of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The general public can begin purchasing general admission tickets at 8:30 a.m. ET Monday, while reserved tickets go on sale Tuesday at 9 a.m. ET.
Current volleyball reserved season ticket holders will have until 5 p.m. ET Monday to reclaim their current reserved seats for the NCAA First and Second Round matches, as well as the potential NCAA Regional Semifinals and Championship. General admission season ticket holders who would like to purchase reserved tickets can call the Gator Ticket Office (352-375-4683) starting at 8 a.m. ET Tuesday.
All-Session Tickets
· Reserved Seating – $15
· Adult General Admission – $12
· Child General Admission – $7
· Loge Seats – $30
· Courtside Seats – $40
Single-Match Tickets
· Reserved Seating – $10
· Adult General Admission – $7
· Child General Admission – $4
· Students – FREE with valid Gator1 ID
GAINESVILLE FIRST & SECOND ROUNDS SCHEDULE (all times Eastern)
· First Round Matches | Thursday, Nov. 30
· Match 1 (College of Charleston vs. Miami) – 4:30 p.m.
· Match 2 (Alabama State vs. Florida) – 7 p.m.
· Second Round Match | Friday, Dec. 1, 7 p.m. (winners of Match 1 & Match 2)
FLORIDA NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTABLES
· Florida is 8-1 this season against the 2017 NCAA Tournament field
· Florida’s 28 all-time NCAA Tournament ties Arizona and UC Santa Barbara for the 10th-most in Division I history, trailing Penn State (37) Stanford (37), Hawaii (36), Nebraska (36), Southern California (35), UCLA (35), Texas (34), BYU (30), Colorado State (29)
· The Gators have made 23 Regional Semifinals and 15 Regional Championships in program history
· Florida is seeking its eighth all-time NCAA Semifinals appearance and its first since 2003, when it played in the NCAA Championship match
· Florida head coach Mary Wise boasts a 65-26 (.714) all-time record in the NCAA Tournament, with all her postseason appearances coming with the Gators
· The Gators carry a 66-27 (.710) all-time record in NCAA Tournament play
· The Gators are 51-8 (.864) when hosting NCAA Tournament matches in Gainesville
SCOUTING THE FIRST & SECOND ROUNDS
Alabama State | 28-10 overall, 18-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference
· Florida leads: 2-0 (2-0 under Mary Wise)
· 3-set: 2-0 | 4-set: 0-0 | 5-set: 0-0
· Home: 2-0 | Away: 0-0 | Neutral: 0-0
· NCAA Tournament series: Florida leads, 2-0
· Last Time Out: 2016 NCAA Tournament First Round in Gainesville –> W, 3-0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-19)
· Notable: SWAC Tournament champions; won 20-plus matches each of the past five seasons; third NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014
College of Charleston | 27-5 overall, 15-1 Colonial Athletic Association
· Florida leads: 3-0 (3-0 under Mary Wise)
· 3-set: 3-0 | 4-set: 0-0 | 5-set: 0-0
· Home: 3-0 | Away: 0-0 | Neutral: 0-0
· NCAA Tournament series: Florida leads, 3-0
· Last Time Dec. 1, 2012 NCAA Tournament Second Round in Gainesville –> W, 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-14)
· Notable: Ninth all-time NCAA Tournament appearance; CAA Tournament runner-up; CAA regular season champions; first-ever at-large berth by CAA program
Miami | 21-5 overall, 15-5 Atlantic Coast Conference (t-3rd)
· Florida leads: 1-0 (1-0 under Mary Wise)
· 3-set: 0-0 | 4-set: 1-0 | 5-set: 0-0
· Home: 1-0 | Away: 0-0 | Neutral: 0-0
· NCAA Tournament series: Florida leads, 1-0
· Last Time Out: Dec. 6, 2014 in Gainesville –> W, 3-1 (13-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25-21)
· Notable: Eighth NCAA Tournament appearance in last nine seasons (only advanced past NCAA First Round twice in previous seven appearances)