There's no place like home.
The fifth-ranked UF volleyball team opened its season with a seven game road trip that spanned nearly two weeks and included stops in Washington D.C., Texas and Hawaii.
Now, Florida returns to Gainesville to play its home opener against St. John’s (9-3) tonight at 7 in the O’Connell Center.
The Gators (6-1) faced strong competition, notching a 3-0 win over No. 19 Oregon and a 3-1 victory over No. 2 Texas. Their lone defeat came at the hands of No. 12 Hawaii losing 3-2.
Off the court, the extended time away from Gainesville has proven to be a challenge for the players, who have had to simultaneously juggle volleyball and school work .
"It's definitely been busy just because all we've done is travel and play matches away, so now we get to come back, everything calms down a little," sophomore middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan said.
It couldn't have come at a better time.
The return to familiar territory is something the players have been looking forward to for some time.
"I'm definitely excited," Alhassan said.
"All we've been doing is playing away, so just finally getting to be back in the O-Dome and play our first match in front of Gator Nation, just really pumped."
While the road trip was successful, senior setter Mackenzie Dagostino said that spending so much time away has made the team appreciate the little nuances of being home.
"Just so excited to be back like in our area, our gym, with our fans,” Dagostino said. “Just such a good feeling and being comfortable knowing where everything is and not being completely out of our element."
The return home is especially meaningful for the seniors, who were unsure if they would ever get the opportunity to play at the O-Dome again. The original plan was for O’Connell Center renovations to begin in March 2015 and be completed around the beginning of the 2016 Spring semester, displacing the team this season and forcing them to play at nearby Santa Fe College. But when the renovations were postponed for a year, the volleyball team got its 2015 home schedule back.
"Our fans are awesome. The atmosphere, everything going on in the O-Dome is just so exciting," senior defensive specialist Nikki O'Rourke said.
"It was definitely fun playing on the road. We got to play in some awesome gyms at Texas and Hawaii, both huge crowds and very cool atmospheres to be playing in, but I'm very happy to be home."
Follow Brian Lee on Twitter @brianlee_17
Mackenzie Dagostino sets the ball during Florida's 3-0 win against Alabama State during the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in the O'Connell Center.
