The Florida volleyball team received the No. 11 seed in the 2015 NCAA Tournament on Sunday and is set to host the first and second rounds of the tournament in the O’Connell Center.
Florida (22-6) will square off against New Hampshire (21-8) Thursday at 7 p.m. in the first round. UF will also host Arizona State (19-12) and Florida State (24-7).
This year marks the 25th consecutive time the Gators will make an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
The Gators head into the tournament boasting the nation’s highest hitting percentage (.317), led by sophomore middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan’s .424 mark.
The top four seeds in this year’s tournament are Southern California, Minnesota, Texas and Nebraska. The USC Trojans concluded the season 30-2 and are the No. 1 ranked team in the country.
Florida completed the regular season with a sweep of LIU Brooklyn on Friday. The Gators wrapped up Southeastern Conference play 13-5, finishing fourth in the conference.
Florida began the year ranked No. 4 in the nation and has steadily dropped down the polls to No. 17.
Despite UF’s ranking in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, the Gators still rank fifth in the country in RPI. Rating percentage index measures the strength of schedule and takes into consideration wins and losses.
UF’s 2014 season came to an end in the Elite Eight last year after losing in straight sets to Stanford.
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UF coach Mary Wise calls out to setter Mackenzie Dagostino during Florida's 3-1 loss to Kentucky on Sept. 27, 2015, in the O'Connell Center.
