Florida takes its No. 1 ranking in college volleyball on the road this evening to play SEC West Division leader Mississippi. The first serve in the match at the Gillom Sports Center is 8 p.m. ET.
“Ole Miss is a team that’s undefeated at home and in a good position to win the SEC West,” Florida coach Mary Wise said. “This is the best Ole Miss team we’ve ever played, and facing them in a tough environment will really be a challenge. If we serve and block well, then we have a chance to win on the road.”
Florida (19-1, 12-0 SEC) will bring a 14-match winning streak into the contest, looking for its 20th consecutive season with 20 victories. The Gators have a two-match lead over the rest of the league, with West rivals Mississippi and Louisiana State both at 10-2 and Tennessee standing fourth at 8-4.
Florida is coming off a 3-0 victory over South Carolina Wednesday night at the O’Connell Center. Senior outside hitter Callie Rivers had a .524 hitting efficiency (11 kills on 21 attempts with no errors), four service aces and five digs for 15.0 total points.
Florida is among the NCAA leaders in three statistical categories. The Gators rank 16th nationally in hitting efficiency (.280), are 21st nationally in service aces with 1.77 per set and stand 25th in blocks per set with 2.63. Florida will enter the Ole Miss match with a string of three straight matches hitting better than .300. Against South Carolina, the Gators hit .323 and held the Gamecocks to .057.
Florida also is the only team in the SEC to have three players rank in the league’s Top 10 in service aces, including the top two. Junior right-side/setter Kelly Murphy leads the league with 0.38 service aces per set, just slightly ahead of Rivers’ 0.36.
Murphy averages a team-best 3.23 kills per set, which is 10th in the SEC, on a .376 hitting percentage, which ranks fourth. She also averages 5.44 assists per set, 2.15 digs per set and 0.70 blocks per set.
Junior outside hitter Kristy Jaeckel and Rivers follow with 2.44 and 2.29 kills per set, respectively. Senior libero Erin Fleming is eighth in the SEC with 3.62 digs per set, with Rivers second at 2.36. Freshman setter Chanel Brown averages 5.52 assists per set, and Florida has three players averaging 0.90 blocks per set or better – junior Cassandra Anderson (1.16 per set, third in the SEC), senior Lauren Bledsoe (1.00, ninth SEC) and sophomore Tangerine Wiggs (0.90).
Wise, who earlier this season was rewarded with her 700th collegiate coaching victory, is in her 20th season as Florida’s head coach and has never lost to Mississippi (31-0). FThis is the 41st meeting between the Rebel Bears and Gators, with Florida holding a 37-3 edge, including 16-3 in Oxford. Florida won the previous meeting between the two teams 3-0 on Sept. 26, but Ole Miss (16-5 overall) recently defeated No. 12 Louisiana State, 3-0, on Oct. 15 in Oxford.
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS
EASTERN DIVISION SEC/Overall
(1) Florida 12-0/19-1
(22) Tennessee 8-4/17-5
Kentucky 5-7/11-11
Georgia 3-9/11-12
South Carolina 2-10/5-17
WESTERN DIVISION SEC/Overall
(16) Louisiana State 10-2/19-2
Mississippi 10-2/16-5
Auburn 7-5/16-8
Arkansas 4-8/10-13
Mississippi State 3-8/11-11
Alabama 1-10/9-12
SCHEDULE
Friday / Oct. 29
Florida at Mississippi, 8 p.m.
Georgia at Kentucky, 7 p.m.
Auburn at Tennessee, 7 p.m.
Mississippi State at Louisiana State, 8 p.m.
Alabama at Arkansas, 8 p.m.
Sunday / Oct. 31
Auburn at Kentucky, 1 p.m. (FSN)
Georgia at Tennessee, 2 p.m. (CSS)
Mississippi State at Arkansas, 2:30 p.m.
Alabama at Louisiana State, 2:30 p.m.
South Carolina at Mississippi, 2:30 p.m.
Friday / Nov. 5
Florida at Georgia, 7 p.m.
Kentucky at Mississippi State, 8 p.m.
South Carolina at Auburn, 8 p.m.
Tennessee at Alabama, 8 p.m.
Mississippi at Arkansas, 8 p.m.
Sunday / Nov. 7
Florida at Auburn, 2 p.m. (CSS)
South Carolina at Georgia, 1:30 p.m.
Kentucky at Alabama, 2 p.m. (FSN)
Mississippi at Louisiana State, 2:30 p.m.
Tennessee at Mississippi State, 2:30 p.m.
For the latest Bison/American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I coaches poll, click below:
http://www.ncaa.com/sports/w-volley/division_i1.html
For the latest 2010 NCAA Women’s Volleyball RPI rankings, click below:
http://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/weeklyrpi/2010WVBrpi1.html