No. 17 Florida Gators volleyball will open the 2026 regular season Sunday against the Stony Brook Seawolves at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville. The first serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, marking the first meeting between the programs.
Florida will stream the match on SEC Network+, with Ryan Urquhart and Missy Whittemore on the call. The match also will air on 98.1 FM WRUF, where Tom Collett and Nick Cheronis will handle broadcast responsibilities.
Florida enters home opener ranked No. 17
The Florida Gators are seeking their seventh-consecutive home-opening victory. Florida is 32-3 in home openers dating to 1991 and 36-6 all time in home openers.
Florida enters the season ranked No. 17 in the opening AVCA Top-25 poll and has appeared in the preseason top 25 for 36 consecutive seasons. The Gators were picked to finish fourth in the Southeastern Conference Preseason Poll, while Jordyn Byrd and Alec Rothe earned Preseason All-SEC Team honors.
Florida competed at Spikes Under the Lights on Aug. 27, becoming part of the first collegiate or professional match held in an NFL stadium and the first match to air on TNT. The 2026 season is Ryan Theis’ second as Florida’s head coach after he led the program to its 35th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
Junior setter Taylor Parks needs 32 assists to become the 18th Florida player to record 1,000 career assists.
Stony Brook brings 1-2 record to Gainesville
Stony Brook enters the match with a 1-2 record after three matches in Orlando, Florida. The Seawolves defeated Robert Morris, 3-2, in their season opener before losing to North Carolina State, 3-0, and UCF, 3-0.
Quinn Anderson and Ella Sanders lead Stony Brook with 34 kills each at 3.09 kills per set. Damisi Osibodu and Ayanna Pierre Louis have 12 blocks each.
Stony Brook was picked to finish sixth in the Colonial Athletic Association Preseason Poll, and Quinn Anderson was named to the Preseason All-CAA Team. Sunday marks Stony Brook’s fifth match against a Southeastern Conference opponent and its first since playing Auburn in 2016; the Seawolves are 0-4 against SEC opponents.
Match information
Matchup: Stony Brook Seawolves at No. 17 Florida Gators
Date: Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Gainesville, Fla.
Watch: SEC Network+ with Ryan Urquhart and Missy Whittemore
Listen: 98.1 FM WRUF with Tom Collett and Nick Cheronis
Promotions include 1,000 schedule posters, a football ticket giveaway, a season-ticket holder giveaway and a post-match mingle.
Source: Original report