The 2023 women’s volleyball season kicks off Friday with a top-15 contest between Florida and Penn State. Both recorded regional semifinal runs in last year’s NCAA tournament.
This highly anticipated matchup is a story of two vastly different situations: Florida relies on its trusted roster from last year, with 10 returning players, whereas the Nittany Lions have revamped their roster with five new transfers. The Road 2 Tampa Bay Invitational is the first regular season contest for both teams, and is also the site for December’s national semifinals and championship. Let’s take a peek at where each team stands:
Florida
The Gators landed at preseason No. 11 in the AVCA after snagging their 25th SEC championship in 2022 and staying alive for three rounds in last year’s tournament. Besides losing All-SEC player Marina Markova, the biggest shakeup of the program is the absence of Merritt Beason, one of the best opposites in the country who led the Gators in points (396.5) and service aces (34) last year. With Beason now at Nebraska, coach Mary Wise stocked her roster with Mizzou transfer Anna Dixon, freshmen outside hitters Madi Gravlee and Kira Hutson, and pin hitter Kennedy Martin.
But it’s the three returning starters, Trinity Adams, Gabby Essix and Alexis Stucky, and UF’s…
