Gators Head to Starkville for Friday Night Matchup

STARKVILLE, Miss. – The No. 14 Florida Volleyball team (12-3, 4-2 SEC) heads to Starkville to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-8, 1-5 SEC) on Friday night at the Newell-Grissom Building.

First serve is slated for 7 p.m. ET on SEC +.

Florida is coming off a sweep of Alabama last Sunday, while Mississippi State fell in straight-sets to Texas A&M in its last contest.

The Gators hold the 55-1 series advantage over the Bulldogs, including a 46-1 record under Mary Wise. Florida is 28-0 in Starkville and swept last season’s series (3-0, 3-0).

Milestones to Watch

• Elli McKissock currently sits fourth in Florida’s record books in career digs with 1,428. She passed Marcie Hampton (1,372 | 2004-07) and Allie Gregory (1,385 | 2016-19) against Texas A&M on Sept. 27
• She sits just 16 digs away from tying Lyra Vance (1984-87 | 1,444) for third place
• McKissock is also 24th in program history in career aces with 97. She needs just seven aces to break into the Top-20 all-time

Gators in the SEC

• As a team, the Gators are ranked in the Top-5 in the SEC in the following:

  • Hitting percentage (4th | .268)
  • Blocks per set (2nd | 2.57)
  • Aces per set (5th | 1.69)

• Individually, four Gators are ranked in the Top-10 conference:
  

Last Time Out

• The ninth-ranked Florida volleyball team swept the Alabama Crimson Tide on Oct. 7 in Exactech Arena
• Florida took the first set in a tight 25-22 battle, then followed with a 29-27 victory in the second to take the 2-0 match lead. The Gators closed out the match with a 25-19 win in the final frame to move to 4-2 in the SEC
• AC Fitzpatrick posted a 14-kill effort with a .394 clip on the afternoon, leading the way offensively for Florida. Kennedy Martin pitched in 11 in the win, continuing her streak of 15 matches with 10+ kills, while Anna Dixon followed with nine kills and a .643 clip of her own
• Kennedy Muff dished out 32 assists in the three-setter, leading the team to a .337 clip. Trinity Adams added three helpers of her own in the win
• As a squad, the Gators tallied 10.0 blocks at the net. Florida was led by a four-block performance from both Sofia Victoria and Gabrielle Essix. The four blocks tied Victoria’s career-high. Nnedi Okammor added three in the win, followed by two apiece from Fitzpatrick, Muff, Martin and Dixon
• Elli McKissock led the backcourt with a team-high 17 digs on the night. That moves her to 1,428 for her career and just 16 digs away…