Merritt Beason, Marina Markova and Alexis Stucky tabbed to All-SEC Team
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida won one major award and placed three student-athletes on this year’s Southeastern Conference Teams, as the league announced Sunday. Alexis Stucky earned the title of SEC Freshman of the Year, becoming the sixth Gator overall and first since Rhamat Alhassan in the 2014 season. The Laramie, Wyo. native also found a spot on both the All-SEC Team and the SEC All-Freshman Team. Merritt Beason and Marina Markova each joined Stucky on the All-SEC Team. This is the second honor for Beason, as she was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team a season ago. In her first season in the league, Markova earned her first SEC honor – she was named to both the All-ACC and All-ECAC Teams during her junior campaign at Syracuse. Stucky also grabbed her first conference honor for her performance in the Orange and Blue this season.
A breakdown of each honoree’s accolades are below:
Merritt Beason
* Second SEC Honor (SEC All-Freshman Team in 2021)
* Has recorded double-digit kills in 19 matches this season
* Tallied four double-doubles in the 2022 season
* Posted a career-high 21 kills in the win over then-No. 4 Wisconsin
* Tied that mark against LSU on Oct. 9
* Registered a career-high 8.0 blocks in the win over LSU on Oct. 9
* Sits first on the team in points (396.5) and service aces (34), second on the team in kills (317) and third on the team in digs (176) and blocks (85.0)
* Has led the Gators in kills 12 times this season
* Has led the Gators in aces 9 times this season
* Has led the Gators in points 13 times this season
* Sits fourth in the conference in aces per set (0.36) and eighth in points per set (4.22)
* Two-time SEC Offensive Player of the Week in 2022 (Aug. 29, Nov. 14)
Marina Markova
* First SEC Honor (honored by the ACC in 2021)
* Has recorded double-digit kills in 20 matches this season
* Posted a Florida career-high 18 kills in the final regular season match
* Eclipsed the 1,000-kill milestone in the final regular season match of the year
* Sits first on the team in kills (320), second in points (364.0) and fourth in blocks (68.0)
* Has led the Gators in kills 10 times this season
* Has led the Gators in points 11 times this season
Alexis Stucky
* First SEC Honor
* First Gator since Rhamat Alhassan in Oct. 14 to receive SEC Freshman of the Year honors
* Posted five double-doubles in the 2022 campaign
* Has recorded at least 40 assists in 13 matches this season
* Has led the team to at least a .300 clip in 13 matches this season
* Recorded a career-high 56 assists against LSU On Oct. 9
* Has posted a career-high five kills on three occasions in 2022
* Registered 6.0 blocks against Minnesota on Sept. 4
* Has led the Gators in assists 28 times this season
* Has led the Gators in aces nine times this season
* Eclipsed 1,000 assists during her freshman season, becoming just the second Florida true freshman to hit that milestone
* Earned AVCA National Division I Player of the Week honors on Oct. 18
* Named SEC Overall Player of the Week twice (Sept. 19, Oct. 17)
* Named SEC Setter of the Week twice (Oct. 17, Nov. 7)
* Named SEC Freshman of the Week five times (Aug. 29, Sept. 19, Oct. 30, Nov. 14, Nov. 21)
2022 ALL-SEC AWARD WINNERS
Player of the Year: Emma Grome, Kentucky Libero of the Year: Jenna Hampton, South Carolina Freshman of the Year: Alexis Stucky, Florida Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Morgahn Fingall, Tennessee Coach of the Year: Tom Black, Georgia
2022 ALL-SEC TEAM
Jillian Gillen Arkansas Taylor Head Arkansas Akasha Anderson Auburn Merritt Beason Florida Marina Markova Florida Alexis Stucky Florida Kacie Evans Georgia Sophie Fischer Georgia Emma Grome Kentucky Adanna Rollins Kentucky Reagan Rutherford Kentucky Azhani Tealer Kentucky Sasha Ratliff Ole Miss Gabby Waden Mississippi State Jenna Hampton South Carolina Morgahn Fingall Tennessee Logan Lednicky Texas A&M Caroline Meuth Texas A&M
2022 SEC ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Akasha Anderson Auburn Kendal Kemp Auburn Madison Scheer Auburn Alexis Stucky Florida Aly Borellis Ole Miss Keondreya Granberry Tennessee Logan Lednicky Texas A&M
Gators Garner Hosting Rights for First & Second Rounds of NCAA Tournament
Florida is the No. 3 seed in the Top Right of the bracket and will host the First and Second Rounds on Dec. 2 & 3
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida was awarded the No. 3 seed in the Top Right portion of the bracket and hosting rights for the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night, as the Division I Women’s Volleyball Selection Committee revealed the 64-team field during an ESPNU television broadcast.
This is the 28th time in program history that the Gators earned hosting rights for the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. With the selection, Florida extends its streak to 32-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, the third-longest active streak in the nation (Penn State – 42, Nebraska – 41). Florida hosts its NCAA First & Second Round matches Friday and Saturday. The Gators will face Florida A&M on Friday at 7 p.m., while Florida Gulf Coast and Iowa State will square off at 4:30 p.m.
The winners of each match will face one another on Saturday at 7 p.m. Last season – the Gators made their way to the program’s 28th Regional Semifinal – falling to No. 1 Louisville. Florida finished the regular season with a 23-5 record and earned the program’s 25th SEC Championship a night ago after defeating Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss. The Gators posted a 15-3 record in league play to finish tied atop the standings with Kentucky.
All ticket information, media and credential information, as well as information about the other three teams traveling to Gainesville this week can be found below.
TICKET INFORMATION | GAINESVILLE FIRST & SECOND ROUNDS
Current volleyball reserved season ticket holders can now order their current seats by logging into their Florida Gators<https://am.ticketmaster.com/gators/invoice> account and will have up until 5 p.m. ET Tuesday to reclaim their current reserved seats for the NCAA First and Second Round matches.
For general admission season ticket holders, as well as the general public, general admission all-session passes for the NCAA First & Second Rounds will go on sale Monday at 9 a.m. online (follow this link for purchasing
<https://floridagators.com/sports/2015/12/10/_tickets_volleyball_.aspx>)
at the Gator Ticket Office
<http://floridagators.com/sports/2015/12/10/_tickets_.aspx>
located between Gates 1 & 2 of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium or by calling the Gator Ticket Office at 352-375-4683. Any unclaimed season reserved tickets will go on sale starting Wednesday at 9 a.m. Single-session tickets for the general public will also go on sale Wednesday at 9 a.m.
All-Session Tickets
* Reserved Seating – $15
* Adult General Admission – $12
* Child General Admission (12 & U) – $8
* Loge Seats – $30
* Courtside Seats – $40
Single-Match Tickets
* Reserved Seating – $10
* Adult General Admission – $8
* Child General Admission (12 & U) – $5
* Students – FREE with valid Gator1 ID
GAINESVILLE FIRST & SECOND ROUNDS SCHEDULE (all times Eastern)
* First Round Matches | Friday, Dec. 2
* Match 1: No. 6 Iowa State vs. Florida Gulf Coast – 4:30 p.m.
* Match 2: No. 3 Florida vs. Florida A&M – 7 p.m.
* Second Round Matches | Saturday, Dec. 3
* Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2 – 7 p.m.
