Volleyball
No. 8 Kentucky Hosts No. 20 Florida with SEC Title in the Balance

No. 8 Kentucky Hosts No. 20 Florida with SEC Title in the Balance

by Chris Shoals

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 8 Kentucky Volleyball team will end the regular season at home Friday and Saturday inside Memorial Coliseum, hosting the No. 20 Florida Gators for a two-match Southeastern Conference series with the SEC title on the line for both teams.
 
Both games will be at 1 p.m. ET at Memorial Coliseum, with Friday’s match serving as Senior Day. The ceremonies honoring Alli Stumler, Cameron Scheitzach and Lauren Tharp will begin at 12:45 p.m. ET on-court. Friday’s game will be broadcasted live on the SEC Network with Paul Sunderland and Missy Whittemore on the call. Saturday’s regular season finale will be shown on SEC Network+, ESPN3 and the ESPN app.
 
Friday’s match is also a canned food drive benefiting the Lexington Area. For every canned food item that fans bring in, each fan will receive one ticket and can enter to win a Roku, flat-screen TV, signed balls and more.
 
Tickets to both matches can be purchased here. Fans can also buy tickets at the match by accessing the UK Ticket Office. The ticket office is located on the Lexington Avenue side of Memorial Coliseum, it opens 1 hour prior to first serve and closes after the second set of the match.
 
Kentucky enters the final weekend of SEC play at 15-1, a one-match lead on Florida (14-2) and a half-match lead in the loss column over Mississippi State (15-2). UK needs just one win against Florida to claim the SEC championship.
 
Florida is 20-6 overall in 2021 and 14-2 in SEC play, currently riding a season-long nine-match winning streak. The Gators swept South Carolina in last weekend’s SEC play, winning 3-0 in both matches played in Gainesville.
 

***SEC VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TIEBREAKERS***

– The SEC will recognize all teams with the highest winning percentage as co-champions. Tiebreakers will only be used to separate the first-place team for NCAA Tournament qualification purposes as to whom gets the automatic bid.
 
KENTUCKY (15-1)
Can win the SEC with:
* 1 win vs. Florida (Kentucky holds head-to-head with Mississippi State due to 3-1 win vs. MSU on 10/6)
** NOTE: 2 wins vs. Florida would clinch the SEC outright regardless of other SEC results
 
FLORIDA (14-2)
Can win the SEC with:
* 2 wins vs. Kentucky AND
* Mississippi State loss to Auburn
 
Can win a share of the SEC with:
* 2 wins vs. Kentucky AND
* Mississippi State win vs. Auburn
** In this scenario, tiebreaker 1A is even (head-to-head competition, as the two teams each won one match)
** In this scenario, tiebreaker 1B is even (number of sets won between two teams: UF – 5, MSU – 5)
** Tiebreaker 1C is highest number of points won between two teams (MSU -195; UF – 209) Florida wins tiebreaker
 
MISSISSIPPI STATE (15-2)
Can win a share of the SEC with:
* Win vs. Auburn … AND
* 1 Kentucky loss
 
Follow along with the Wildcats on TwitterFacebook and Instagram, and on the web at UKathletics.com.
 

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