No. 24 Florida Volleyball Welcomes Ole Miss to the O’Dome for Sunday Matchup

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 24 Florida volleyball team welcomes Ole Miss to Gainesville for a conference matchup on Sunday, Nov. 3 inside the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.

First serve is set for 1:00 p.m. ET, with doors opening an hour prior. Sunday’s match will be streamed live on SEC Network+ as well as can be heard on 98.1FM/850AM. Additionally, follow @GatorsVB on socials for match updates or via live stats, which can be found on volleyball’s schedule page on FloridaGators.com.

 

No. 24 Florida (15-5, 6-3 SEC) vs. Ole Miss (14-7, 4-5 SEC)

Sunday, November 3 | 1 p.m. ET

Exactech Arena – Gainesville, Fla.

SECN+ | Listen | Live Stats | Tickets

 

Marketing Giveaways:

There will be a post-match mingle following Sunday’s match as well as 250 Florida Volleyball Autograph Books will be available at the O’Dome entrance gates. Additionally, there will be 250 goodie bags available for children 12 and under.

 

Florida’s last time out:

• After dropping the opening set, the No. 24 Florida volleyball team fought back to earn their second-straight comeback win on Wednesday night, defeating Arkansas 3-1 (11-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-23) inside Barnhill Arena. The Gators tally their fourth-straight conference win to move to 6-3 in the league, while improving to 15-5 overall.
• Sophomore All-American Kennedy Martin recorded her first double-double of the season after posting 31 kills for the second-straight match, while picking up 10 digs en route to tying her own individual single-game-kill school record during the 25-point scoring era that she recorded in Florida’s 3-1 win against Tennessee last Friday, Oct. 25. Her career best marks the most kills in a four-set match, as former Gator Aury Cruz, the four-time AVCA All-American and three-time SEC Player of the Year, recorded 31 kills against Nebraska on December 8, 2001 in Florida’s Final Four match, which went into five sets. Cruz’s recorded 31 kills twice in her career when rally scoring went to 30 points.

On Ole Miss:

• The Rebels currently sit 4-5 in conference play after coming off a 3-1 road win at Auburn on Wednesday, Oct. 30. In conference play alone, Ole Miss is hitting a .213 clip, but averaging 13.64 kills per set to tie for second. Their 12.76 assists per set is good for third in the league, as setter Mokohana Tufono ranks third in league play for assists, averaging 10.91 per set, while outside hitter Nia Washington is currently averaging 4.09 kills per set to sit ninth in SEC play. The junior also ranks tenth in points per set with 4.55.
• Defensively, Ole Miss is averaging 15.21 digs per set and 2.36 blocks per set in conference matches. Libero Cammy Niesen ranks third in the league for digs per set with 4.30, while middle blocker Sasha Ratcliff is eighth in the league for blocks per set (1.14). Behind the service line, Shayla Meyer is also ranking eighth for aces per set, averaging 0.36.

Match Notes Preview:

• MARTIN MADNESS
  
  • Sophomore All-American Kennedy Martin recorded her first double-double of the season after posting 31 kills for the second-straight match at Arkansas on Oct. 30. She tallied 10 digs en route to tying her own individual single-game-kill school record during the 25-point scoring era that she recorded in Florida’s 3-1 win against Tennessee last Friday, Oct. 25. Her career-high marks the most kills in a four-set match, as former Gator Aury Cruz, the four-time AVCA All-American and three-time SEC Player of the Year, recorded 31 kills against Nebraska on December 8, 2001 in Florida’s Final Four match, which went into five sets. Cruz’s recorded 31 kills twice in her career when rally scoring went to 30 points.
  • In Florida’s last two matches against Tennessee and Arkansas, Martin has totaled 66.0 points and 62 kills, while averaging 8.25 points per set and a .450 hitting clip. Over the season, she is averaging 5.84 points per set and 5.06 kills per set, while playing in only 65.75 percent of Florida’s sets (48 of 73 sets). Additionally, the Fort Mill, S.C. native has recorded double-digit kills in every collegiate match she has played in (41 matches).
  • Furthermore, she ranks second in the nation for most kills recorded in a four-set match, and averaged the most kills per set (7.74) and points per set (8.13) in matches played from Oct. 21 through Oct. 28. Martin currently ranks No. 1 in the SEC in points per set (5.84), first in kills per set (5.06), fourth in aces per set (0.44) and ninth for average hitting percentage (.363). Since she has not played in 66.7% of Florida’s sets, she is not eligible to rank nationally.

• IMMEDIATE IMPACT
  • Seven of Florida’s fresh faces – Jaela Auguste, Erin Engel, Bella Lee, Taylor Parks, Isabel Martin, Alec Rothe and Lauren Harden – have taken no time to adjust to their new environment. Through 19 matches, the five freshman and two transfers have contributed 48.16% kills, 58.82% assists, 32.64% aces, 28.30% digs, 58.06% block solos, 59.09% block assists, 58.90% total blocks and 47.39% points to Florida’s average stat line.

• POY WATCH FOR MARTIN DUO
  • Isabel Martin and Kennedy Martin were named to AVCA’s 2024 Division I Player of the Year Award Watch List presented by Nike Volleyball on Sept. 18. The sophomore was a 2023 2nd Team All-American, while the redshirt senior earned 2023 Honorable Mention. The pair is part of the inaugural list that includes 36 players from 21 schools. The 2024 AVCA Player of the Year will be announced on Friday, Dec. 20, in Louisville, Ky., during the AVCA Convention.

• #SOPHIASTRONG
  • The Gators welcomed their newest teammate, Sophia Murrillo, through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation back in July 2019.
  • Sophia loves Minnie Mouse, the Wizard of Oz and purple.
  • The Friends of Jaclyn Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life for children battling pediatric brain tumors or other childhood cancers. They also raise awareness through their Adopt-A-Child, Safe on the Sidelines and Guardian Angel program.

Series Information:

• Series Record 59-3 (53-0 under Wise)
• 3-set: 49-0; 4-set: 5-1; 5-set: 5-2
• Home: 26-0; Away: 30-3; Neutral: 3-0
• Last time out | W, 3-0 | A | 26-24, 25-23, 25-19

Fans can purchase single-game tickets for the remaining matches. To purchase, click here. For more information on volleyball tickets, call the Gator Ticket Office at (352) 375-4683.

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