Gators Head to Knoxville for Midweek Matchup

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 15 Florida volleyball team (10-3, 2-1 SEC) continues its road stretch with a midweek matchup against the Tennessee Lady Vols (8-7, 2-1 SEC) on Wednesday night in Thompson-Boling Arena.

Wednesday’s match is slated for a 7 p.m. start on ESPNU with Eric Frede and Katie George on the call.

In its last SEC action, Florida split the series 1-1 with the South Carolina Gamecocks, while Tennessee is also coming off a 1-1 series against the Texas A&M Aggies.

The Gators hold the 54-13 advantage over the Lady Vols, including a 25-5 record in Knoxville, Tenn.

Last Time Against Tennessee

• The last time these two squads faced off was on Nov. 4, 2021 in Gainesville, Fla. where the Gators downed the Lady Vols in four sets (22-25, 25-17, 25-23, 25-16)
• Florida was led on the offensive front by former Gator T’ara Ceasar, who posted a season-high 25 kills on the night with a .352 clip. Her 31.5 points were a record-number in a four-set match for the rally scoring era
• Gator alum Lauren Forte added 11 kills of her own, while former Gator Thayer Hall followed with a 10-kill performance and Merritt Beason registered nine kills in the four-setter
• Gator alumna Marlie Monserez dished out 48 assists while leading the team to a .298 clip in the match
• The Gators held Tennessee to a .177 clip on the night – the Lady Vols lowest efficiency of the season. UF recorded a total of 9.5 blocks, led by five from Forte. Beason and former Gator Lauren Dooley each pitched in four on the night, while Ceasar added three
• Elli McKissock registered a team-high 26 digs to lead Florida’s backcourt defense. Monserez posted 17 of her own for her eighth double-double of the year, while Hall recorded 12 for her fourth double-double in the 2021 campaign. Beason notched a career-high 11 digs to round of the Gators in double-digit digs
• Ceasar led the way behind the service line, tying her career-high with five aces

Last Time Out

• The then-No. 12 Florida volleyball team split the SEC series against South Carolina, winning the Sept. 24 matchup in four sets before falling in a five-set battle on Sept. 25
• In the two matches, Merritt Beason totaled 35 kills, followed by 25 from Sofia Victoria and 24 from Marina Markova
• Alexis Stucky dished out 90 assists, including a career-high 48 in the four-setter on Saturday. She also led the Gators to a .275 clip average in the two…