Florida Kicks Off 2022 Campaign with Gators Invitational

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The 15th-ranked Florida volleyball team opens the 2022 season with the Gators Invitational Friday and Saturday.

The Gators welcome North Florida, East Tennessee State and Virginia to Exactech Arena for the two-day invitational.

Florida is set to take on North Florida on Friday at 7 p.m., followed by a two-match slate on Saturday against ETSU (12 p.m.) and Virginia (7:30 p.m.).

All three matches will air on the SEC Network + and can be heard on the airways of ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM/850 AM.

Of the three teams, Florida has only previously faced Virginia, holding the 3-0 series advantage over the Cavaliers.

Five Things to Know About the 2022 Gators

1. Streaking in the Top-15. Florida debuted at No. 15 in the AVCA Division I Coaches’ Poll on Aug. 15, marking the 31st consecutive season the Gators are a preseason Top15 team. The streak runs all the way back to 1992, and only Nebraska boasts a longer active streak.
2. Gators in the SEC. After finishing third in the league during the 2021 campaign, the 2022 Gators were picked to finish second in the conference, just behind reigning league champion Kentucky for first place. The Gators had two members named to the Preseason All-SEC Team: Merritt Beason and Bre Kelley. Both players earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshmen Team a season ago.
3. Fresh Faces. Florida welcomes eight newcomers to the 2022 roster in five freshmen and three transfers. The freshmen class consists of Emily Canaan, Carly Hendrickson, Emerson Hoyle, Alexis Stucky and Amaya Thomas. Combined, they bring in numerous accolades, national team experience and Under Armour All-American honors. The three transfers – AC Fitzpatrick (Penn State), Marina Markova (Syracuse), Rhett Robinson (North Texas) – bring in AVCA All-America honors, All-Conference honors and a plethora of experience to the court.
4. Summer with National Teams. Merritt Beason, Bre Kelley and Alexis Stucky had the opportunity to win gold with Team USA at the U21 Pan America Games this summer, with Beason earning Tournament MVP honors. Sofia Victoria competed with the National Team of Puerto Rico and was named the Best Scorer at the NORCECA Final Four Women’s Qualification Tournament. Elli McKissock and Gabrielle Essix trained with the Collegiate National Team this summer as well in California.
5. Among the Elite. Mary Wise is…