The Gators lost a little ground in the rankings but are still among the top 15 schools in the nation on the volleyball court.
The Florida volleyball team put together a 2-1 record this weekend but it was not enough to remain in the AVCA/TARAFLEX rankings’ top 10 after two weeks of play.
The Gators prevailed over Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles and Ohio State Buckeyes with ease in the final two games of the Florida Invitational inside the O’Connell Center. However, the South Florida Bulls — who earned votes in this week’s poll — outmuscled Florida on Friday night to give the Orange and Blue its first defeat of 2024.
Subsequently, the Gators slipped from 10th overall in last week’s rankings to 13th, sitting between the 12th-ranked Oregon Ducks and 14th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils.
AVCA/TARAFLEX Division I WVB Poll
Rank
School (1st Place Votes)
Points
Previous Rank
1
Pittsburgh (29)
1,471
3
2
Stanford (23)
1,462
5
3
Penn State (6)
1,389
7
4
Louisville (1)
1,284
4
5
Nebraska (2)
1,277
2
6
Texas
1,168
1
7
Purdue
1,118
8
8
Wisconsin
1,087
6
9
Creighton
1,042
11
10
Kentucky
945
9
11
Kansas
898
13
12
Oregon
836
12
13
Florida
632
10
14
Arizona State
603
16
15
Georgia Tech
575
19
16
Tennessee
500
17
17
BYU
488
14
18
Baylor
465
23
19
Minnesota
433
18
20
Miami
393
NR
21
Florida State
344
15
22
Arkansas
303
21
23
Southern California
295
20
24
Dayton
221
22
25
TCU
165
NR
Others receiving votes and listed on two or more ballots: SMU 132; Auburn 85; UCLA 74; Marquette 39; Washington 22; Georgia 20; South Florida 18; Western Kentucky 3.
Dropped Out: Marquette (24), UCLA (25)
* 9 teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of 38 combined points
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Paityn Chapman was maned Freshman of the Week after the Lady Vols defeated UCLA and Long Island.
Kerr, a redshirt sophomore, has won 13 weekly conference awards, including two this season. This marks the third time she has won both player of the week and setter of the week honors.
Chapman earned her first SEC weekly honor.
Kerr totaled 73 assists, 14 digs, four aces, three kills and three blocks in Tennessee’s victories over the Sharks and Bruins.
Chapman, an outside hitter for the Lady Vols, recorded 16 kills, five digs, one ace and one solo block in Tennessee’s two wins last week. She posted a .314 hitting percentage.
Lady Vols sweep UCLA to earn eighth top 25 victory under head coach Eve Rackham Watt.
No. 17 Tennessee (1-2) defeated No. 25 UCLA (2-1), 25-15, 26-24, 27-25, Thursday at Food City Center.
The match was witnessed by 3,702 fans, the second largest crowd in program history. Tennessee also recorded its eighth victory over a top 25 opponent under head coach Eve Rackham Watt.
Junior outside hitter Hayden Kubik recorded a career-high 12 kills and 13 digs, her first career double-double for the Lady Vols. Nina Cajic, a graduate student and outside hitter, totaled 14 kills and eight digs. The transfer from Townson also hit .324 against the Bruins.
Paityn Chapman totaled 11 kills and five digs, while redshirt sophomore setter Caroline Kerr was the leading passer for the Lady Vols with 38 assists. She also finished with eight digs, three blocks, two kills and one ace to help Tennessee earn its first win of the 2024 season.
Florida scored wins against Colorado State, Northern Colorado and Michigan State this past weekend on three straight days.
Florida’s volleyball team moved up a spot in the first regular-season AVCA/TARAFLEX Division I WVB Poll released on Monday, putting the Gators at No. 10 in the rankings after a strong start.
The Orange and Blue scored wins against the Colorado State Rams, Northern Colorado Bears and Michigan State Spartans this past weekend on three straight days, respectively. Florida put up a .317 attacking percentage over that stretch, along with 13.36 kills per set and averaging 12.27 assists, 10.27 digs, 2.45 blocks and 2.18 aces per set.
The Gators came into the 2024 campaign ranked in preseason top 15 for a 33rd-straight year — the third-longest in the sport’s history following the Stanford Cardinals and Nebraska Cornhuskers, the latter of whom still have an active streak going.
Others receiving votes and listed on two or more ballots:
Georgia 88; Western Kentucky 68; TCU 62; Houston 41; Ohio State 30; Hawai’i 28; Miami (FL) 23; Washington State 23; Auburn 20; SMU 12; Missouri 11; Indiana 10; Washington 10; UNLV 4
Dropped Out: Georgia (25)
* 4 teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of 13 combined points
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Tennessee sets Food City attendance record versus Penn State.
No. 7 Penn State (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) defeated No. 15 Tennessee (0-1, 0-0 SEC), 22-25, 25-16, 25-15, 25-20, Friday at Food City Center in the season opener for both schools.
The match was played before a record crowd of 6,193 fans, breaking a previous record of 3,376 that witnessed the Lady Vols’ match against Kentucky on Oct. 27, 2021.
Tennessee committed 23 attacking errors against Penn State.
Freshman outside hitter Paityn Chapman led the Lady Vols with 12 kills and also recorded two blocks.
Junior outside hitter Hayden Kubik totaled 11 kills and nine digs, while graduate transfer Nina Cajic, who previously played for Townson, recorded 10 kills, six digs and two assists.
Setter and redshirt sophomore Caroline Kerr recorded a sixth double-double of her collegiate career, totaling 38 assists and 11 digs.
Once again, the Florida Gators are in position to dominate the college volleyball realm this season.
The American Volleyball Coaches Association/TARAFLEX Preseason Division I Top-25 poll was announced on Monday and the Florida Gators earned the No. 11 spot ahead of the 2024 campaign.
It marks the 33rd-straight season that the Orange and Blue is ranked among the top 15 in the preseason poll. That is the third-longest in the sport’s history following the Stanford Cardinals and Nebraska Cornhuskers, the latter of whom still have an active streak going.
Florida is scheduled to face seven ranked opponents during the 2024 campaign, including four opponents in the top 15: No. 1 Texas Longhorns; No. 9 Kentucky Wildcats; No. 14 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets; No. 15 Tennessee Volunteers.
Florida volleyball’s opening weekend
The Gators kick off their 2024 campaign out west in Colorado starting on Aug. 30 against the Colorado State Rams in Fort Collins. They will then face the Northern Colorado Bears on Aug. 31 in Greeley before finishing the first weekend of play against the Michigan State Spartans back in Fort Collins on Sept. 1.
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Six of Florida volleyball’s 2024 regular-season matches will be on either ESPN or ESPN2 while five others will be on the SEC Network.
Eleven of Florida volleyball’s regular season games will be televised in 2024, according to the schedule revealed by ESPN and the SEC Network on Thursday. Six of the games will be broadcast by the former while the other five by the latter.
The Gators open up their televised schedule on Sunday, Sept. 8, in Gainesville against the Ohio State Buckeyes, which will be broadcast on ESPN2. The following match at the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Wednesday, Sept. 11, will also be featured on the same channel.
The rivalry matchup inside the O’Connell Center against the Florida State Seminoles will once again be broadcast on ESPN2.
The first Southeastern Conference foe to hit the airwaves against Florida is the Kentucky Wildcats, who travel to Gainesville for a Sunday, Sept. 29, tangle that will be broadcast on ESPN. The following match at home against the Texas Longhorns on Sunday, Oct. 6, will also be on that same channel.
The final ESPN game comes against the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge on Sunday, Oct. 20.
The SEC Network will provide coverage starting with the home match against the Buffalo Bisons, followed by the road meeting with the Texas A&M Aggies and the home match with the Tennessee Volunteers. The final two games are on the road at the Arkansas Razorbacks and Auburn Tigers, respectively.
An additional slate of matches that will be available on SECN+ via WatchESPN will be announced at a later date.
Florida Volleyball TV Schedule
Date
Time (ET)
Matchup
Airing on
Friday, Sept. 8
4 p.m.
Ohio State at Florida
ESPN2
Wednesday, Sept. 11
7 p.m.
Florida at Georgia Tech
ESPN2
Tuesday, Sept. 17
7 p.m.
Florida State at Florida
ESPN2
Sunday, Sept. 22
3 p.m.
Buffalo at Florida
SEC Network
Sunday, Sept. 29
1 p.m.
Kentucky at Florida
ESPN
Sunday, Oct. 6
1 p.m.
Texas at Florida
ESPN
Friday, Oct. 18
9 p.m.
Florida at Texas A&M
SEC Network
Sunday, Oct. 20
1 p.m.
Florida at LSU
ESPN2
Friday, Oct. 25
7 p.m.
Tennessee at Florida
SEC Network
Wednesday, Oct. 30
8 p.m.
Florida at Arkansas
SEC Network
Wednesday, Nov. 20
8 p.m.
Florida at Auburn
SEC Network
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For the Paris Olympics this summer, For The Win is helping you get to know some of the star Olympians competing on the world’s biggest stage. We’re highlighting 15 Team USA athletes in the 15 days leading up to the Opening Ceremony. Up next is Chase Budinger
We’ve seen athletes show up at the Olympics after specializing in other sports before. That’s not necessarily unique.
For example, there’ve been several Olympians from the NFL who have made the crossover before. But it’s not just an athlete making that crossover that’s special — it’s actually how good the athlete is at the other sport.
That’s why the story of Chase Budinger, the volleyball player, is so incredible.
If you’ve watched the NBA before, you probably recognize that name. Budinger put together a solid career in the league before retiring. These days, he’s traded in the orange round ball for a white one. Budinger is one of the United States’ best volleyball players.
Here’s everything you need to know about Team USA’s budding volleyball star. Get it? Budding? Sorry about that. Let’s get into it.
1. Chase Budinger had a lengthy NBA career
Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY
Budinger had a pretty solid NBA career from 2009 to 2016. He appeared in games for the Rockets, Timberwolves, Suns and Pacers before continuing to play ball overseas in Spain.
He averaged a solid 7.9 points per game through 407 NBA games played. Obviously, that’s not a superstar-level career. But it’s still pretty good! He made just more than $18 million through his NBA career.
2. He was a McDonald’s All-American
Arizona’s Chase Budinger throws down a break away dunk against University of Louisville in the 1st half in the NCAA Men’s Midwest Regional semi final in Indianapolis, IN on Friday, March 27, 2009.JULIAN H. GONZALEZ/Detroit Free Press
Chase wasn’t a slouch coming into the NBA. He may have been more of a role player in the league, but he was one of the best high school prospects coming into his class, averaging 34 points and 11 rebounds per game.
Jun 19, 2024; Hermosa Beach, Calif., USA: Chase Budinger spikes the ball during a morning training session at Hermosa Beach, Calif. on Jue 19, 2024. Budinger is a former collegiate and NBA basketball player who has made the Olympic Beach Volleyball Team. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY
Budinger was a two-sport athlete in high school. He may have been just as good at volleyball as he was at basketball.
He led his team to three state championships and was named National High School Player of the Year by Volleyball Magazine, according to this profile from USA TODAY’s Jordan Mendoza.
Volleyball was a bit of a family trade for the Budingers. Both his brother and sister, Duncan and Brittanie, played volleyball professionally. Brittanie is even in the Hall of Honor for the West Coast Conference.
Budinger told the Indianapolis Star that part of his plan was to “play beach volleyball when basketball was over.” Here he is, doing it at a high level.
4. He’s an elite dunker
These hops are the reason he’s so good at volleyball. This reel of him dunking will absolutely get you out of your seat today.
He was so good as a dunker he participated in the 2012 NBA Dunk Contest and was pretty solid. He’s putting those hops to use elsewhere these days.
Florida volleyball program earned the No. 2 ranking behind Texas Longhorns in the SEC Preseason Coaches Poll for the second straight season.
The Florida volleyball program earned the No. 2 ranking in the SEC Preseason Coaches Poll, the conference announced on Wednesday, for the second straight season.
The Gators earned a single first-place vote and 174 total points, landing them behind two-time defending national champions and a new addition to the Southeastern Conference, the Texas Longhorns.
UF setter Alexis Stucky and opposite hitter Kennedy Martin were also named to the Preseason All-SEC Team in the announcement.
Florida returns 12 players from the 2023 season, with seven starting in at least four matches. Starting Libero Elli McKissock and outside hitter AC Fitzpatrick join the two All-Americans for their last year of eligibility, while seniors Gabrielle Essix and Trinity Adams, as well as junior Emily Canaan, return for legendary head coach Mary Wise’s 34th season in Gainesville.
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Tennessee volleyball head coach Eve Rackham Watt announced the Lady Vols’ 2024 schedule.
The Lady Vols will open the season with an exhibition game against Lipscomb on Aug. 23 at Food City Center.
Tennessee’s schedule includes matches against 15 NCAA Tournament teams and seven conference champions. The Lady Vols will play its annual Orange & White match on Aug. 21.
On Aug. 30, the Lady Vols will host Penn State before traveling to Louisville on Aug. 31.
Tennessee will also play Arkansas on Nov. 22. The Lady Vols will end regular-season play against defending national champion Texas in Austin on Nov. 27.
