Florida Volleyball on the Road for Two Conference Matchups at Texas A&M and LSU

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 23 Florida volleyball team takes their talents on the road this weekend for two SEC matchups against Texas A&M and LSU.
 

The Gators (11-5, 2-3 SEC) will first travel to College Station, TX on Friday for a 9 p.m. ET matchup against Texas A&M (12-3, 3-2 SEC) inside Reed Arena before heading to Baton Rouge, LA on Sunday to face LSU (11-6, 3-3 SEC) at 1 p.m. ET inside the Maravich Center.
 
Friday’s match versus the Aggies can be watched on SEC Network, while Sunday’s matchup will be streamed on ESPN2.
 
Florida is looking to pick up two wins and mend their Conference record after dropping three matches to No. 7 Texas, No. 15 Kentucky and most recently to South Carolina on Oct. 13. 

On Texas A&M:

The Aggies are currently tied for fourth in SEC play with a 3-2 record after dropping their third match of the season against LSU on Sunday, Oct. 13 in five sets. Texas A&M is currently hitting .264 and ranks No. 2 in the SEC for kills with 13.84 kills per set. Their 13.11 assists per set is good for third in the Conference, with Aggies setter Maddie Waak leading the league in assists with 10.77 per set.

 

On the defensive end, A&M ranks third in opponent hitting percentage (.174) and blocks per set (2.58), while averaging 12.81 digs per set (11th in SEC). A&M’s middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla individually ranks second in blocks with 1.47 per set.

 

Florida has won nine of the last ten matches against Texas A&M, and the Gators have won all matches played in College Station since 2016. Florida split their 2023 series with the Aggies, losing 2-3 in Gainesville on Sept. 27, 2023 before grabbing a 3-1 win on the road on Oct. 20, 2023.

 

On LSU:

The Tigers have a full week of rest heading into Sunday’s match after improving their SEC record to 3-3 with a 3-2 win over Texas A&M on Oct. 13. LSU is currently hitting .225 on the season (14th in SEC) and averages 12.86 kills per set (14th in SEC). Sophomore outside hitter Jurnee Robinson the Conference in kills per set (4.92) and points per set (5.53). Additionally, Bailey Ortega, a fifth-year transfer from Iowa, ranks No. 7 in the League with 10.15 assists per set.

 

On the defensive side, LSU is averaging 13.61 digs per set (8th in SEC) and 2.09 blocks per set (11th in SEC) to contribute to a…