GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 12 Florida volleyball team remains on the road for a pair of non-conference battles against Ohio State (1-2, 0-0 B1G) and North Carolina (2-0, 0-0 ACC).

The Gators (3-1, 0-0 SEC) begin their road swing in Big Ten country, traveling to Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday, Sept. 7, for a matchup with the Ohio State Buckeyes (1-2, 0-0 B1G). First serve is set for 12 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network with Michelle McMahon and Audrey Flaugh on the call.

Florida then heads back south to Chapel Hill, N.C., to take on UNC (2-0, 0-0 ACC) in the SEC-ACC Challenge on Tuesday, Sept. 9, at 7 p.m. ET. ACC Network will televise the match, featuring play-by-play from Kevin Fitzgerald and analysis from Leah Edmond.

No. 12 Florida at Ohio State

Date & Time: Sunday, Sept. 7 at 12 p.m. ET

Venue: Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio

Broadcast: BTN 

Talent: Michelle McMahon (PxP) and Audrey Flaugh (Analyst)

LiveStats

 

Ohio State Series Record 4-1 (0-0 under Theis)

3-set: 0-0; 4-set: 3-0; 5-set: 1-1

Home: 3-0; Away: 0-0; Neutral: 1-1

Last matchup: 2024 in Gainesville, Fla. – Florida won 3-1 (20-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-21)

 

No. 12 Florida at RV North Carolina

Date & Time: Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. ET

Venue: Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill, NC

Broadcast: ACCN 

Talent: Kevin Fitzgerald (PxP) and Leah Edmond (Analyst)

SEC-ACC Challenge 

LiveStats 

 

North Carolina Series Record 12-1 (0-0 under Theis)

3-set: 6-1; 4-set: 4-0; 5-set: 2-0

Home: 4-0; Away: 4-1; Neutral: 4-0

Last Matchup: 2017 in San Juan, PR (SEC-ACC Challenge) – Florida won 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-23)

 

Florida’s last time out at USF:

The No. 12 Gators served their way to their third-straight win on Tuesday, Sept. 2, opening September play with a four-set win (25-18, 17-25, 25-20, 26-24) over USF in Tampa inside the Yuengling Center. The Gators finished with a season-high nine aces, missing only five serves on 92 attempts. Ella Vogel led the way with a career-best five, while Lily Hayes, Jaela Auguste, Emily Canaan all dropped one. Milica Vidacic had one as well, coming in off the bench to serve the game-winning ace.

Through four matches, Florida has already fought off three opponent set/match points en route to comeback victories.

• vs. No. 3 Pitt (Aug. 23) the Gators fought off match point at 24-23 in the fourth set to win 26-24 and force a fifth set where they rallied from a 12-13 deficit to win 15-13 and clinch the 3-2 match upset.
• at USF (Sept. 2) Florida Trailed 20-13 in the fourth set and went on a 9-2 run before overcoming USF set point at 24-22 to win 26-24 and clinch the 3-1 match win.

About Ohio State:
The Buckeyes move into a new era this season with seven new student-athletes and two new assistant coaches. This is the first team comprised entirely of head coach Jen Flynn Oldenburg’s recruits. A former four-year standout for the Buckeyes, she returned to Columbus as the head coach of the Ohio State women’s volleyball program on Jan. 17, 2020.

Ohio State opened the season at the ‘Canes Classicon Aug. 29-30.  The Buckeyes fell to VCU (24-26, 20-25, 17-25) and RV Miami (FL) (18-25, 16-25, 21-25) before winning a five-set nail-biter (15-25, 27-25, 25-27, 27-25, 15-3) against Miami (OH) (3-1) in the midweek in-state matchup on the road on Wednesday, Sept. 3.

Against VCU, freshman Mina Gunes led the Buckeyes with 10 kills and hit .375, making just one error. Fifth-year transfer Sydney Wyman led the Buckeye block with seven total blocks (two solo). Returning starters Mia Tuman (25 assists) and Olivia Hasbrook (eight digs) led the squad in their respective categories.

Against Miami (FL), the Buckeyes presented a balanced offense with five different players totaling at least five kills apiece. Junior transfer Hannah Jones led the way with eight kills.

The Buckeyes showed their depth with three players with 10 or more kills and three players with 10 or more digs Mia Tuman earned the Buckeyes’ first double-double of the season with a career-high 58 assists and 12 digs.

About UNC:

The Tar Heels, who currently sit 2-0 and have received votes in latest AVCA polls, will host Bucknell on Friday, Sept. 5 and Oral Roberts on Sunday, Sept. 7 before welcoming the Gators to Chapel Hill.

UNC opened the season taking down both Coastal Carolina and Maryland 3-1 in Conway, S.C. Carolina has had three players with at least ten kills in both games. 

UNC is bringing back ten student-athletes from last year’s NCAA tournament squad and welcoming in seven new members. Safi Hampton was named to the 2025 Preseason All-ACC Team. The junior had a breakout sophomore campaign in 2024, leading all returning Tar Heels in kills (291), points per set (3.27), and points (342.0)

Incoming transfers Laynie Smith and Emily Bobbitt will have a connection before they ever play in Carolina blue together, having played together at Triangle Volleyball Club. UNC’s head coach Mike Schall served as an associate director at Triangle before arriving in Chapel Hill.

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