Closing the door to one of the toughest preconference schedules in Florida history, the Gators head to Alabama to face their first Southeastern Conference opponent, Auburn, tonight at 8.
No. 10 Florida (6-3) is coming off a big win after beating Central Florida (7-5) on Sunday in four sets.
While UCF is unranked, coach Mary Wise has highlighted the difficulty of the Knights’ schedule, which was key in making it such a big win for the Gators.
"They were playing at a perfect level of volleyball," Wise said on Sunday after UF’s 3-1 win over UCF. "We felt that even as well as they were playing, we were awfully close to winning that (first) set. We stayed the course and didn’t panic. If they could sustain that they would win the match. … They were pretty ultra human in that first set."
But even with a win against UCF, it means nothing in conference play.
Wise has changed the mentality of her team this season. Instead of focusing on the losses in a negative light, Florida is using it to practice and learn from its mistakes.
With the losses being used as a learning tool, having a 6-3 record doesn’t phase the team.
And with SEC play beginning, Florida will be looking at it as a clean slate, and in Wise’s mind, a whole different season.
"We’re approaching this part as what we call the second season," Wise said. "There’s the preconference, which is season No. 1, conference is season No. 2 and postseason is season No. 3. So now we have more time to improve as a team as we go from the end of September to the end of November."
Florida will be hard-pressed in its first conference match of the season.
Unlike Florida’s preconference schedule, the Gators will be facing a familiar team that, like every other SEC school, will be determined to get a win against the Gators.
"Everybody hates the Gators," Wise said. "We used to say that we were a band team. A band might not play every home match, but they’ll play when the Gators are there."
But with Mackenzie Dagostino — the player Wise said is most improved — Holly Pole and a strong outside hitter and middle blocker squad, Florida looks to capitalize on a young Auburn team, which holds six freshmen on a 12-player roster.
Florida’s biggest threat going into Auburn is freshman outside hitter Courtney Crable, who leads the Tigers in kills (2.78 per set, 136 total through 13 games), service aces (15) and dig attempts (17).
In comparison, Florida’s outside hitter Alex Holston leads the team in kills with 116 with a .319 hitting percentage, while 6-foot-4 freshman middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan leads Florida with a .510 hitting proficiency and 46 total blocks.
The Tigers boast an 8-5 record, but are 5-1 when competing at home, but Dagostino said facing Auburn will be no different from Florida’s nonconference schedule.
"Volleyball is volleyball," Dagostino said. "No matter what conference we’re in, no matter what team we’re playing. It’s just really important that we remember that it’s volleyball. We have to play the same as we would play against a Final Four team as we would maybe a team that wouldn’t make it to the Final Four. It’s just making sure we’re doing the same thing and competing the same way as we do on the practice court."
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Florida celebrates a point during its 3-0 win against Georgia Soutern on Aug. 29 in the O'Connell Center.
