No. 2 Kentucky volleyball (22-2, 15-0 SEC) closed out the regular season SEC slate undefeated, securing its ninth consecutive conference championship, a streak that falls second to the Florida Gators’ 18 consecutive from 1991-2008.
Although the Gators won 18 consecutive conference championships and 13 of 15 conference tournaments (the tournament was retired following the 2005 season), they faced issues in the NCAA Tournament, a demon they have yet to exercise.
Seven of the eight conference champion teams Kentucky has produced since 2017, excluding the current season, have faced similar issues in NCAA Tournament play.
The 2020-21 Wildcats, however, did something none of the 18 Gator squads, or any other SEC team in history, could.
They won a national championship. That tournament, however, was shortened to 48 teams rather than the usual 64, and the Wildcats only needed to win five games instead of the usual six.
Outside of the national championship that Florida could never win, how do the Wildcats compare to the Gators during their SEC champion streak? Obviously, a nine-year streak with only eight years of postseason play will never compare to 18 years, but statistically, can the Cats’ nine-year run compare to either half of the 18-year run the Gators went on?
Tournament History-
The SEC tournament returns this season for the first time in two decades. A tournament win could help Kentucky’s case when compared to the Gators. In the first nine seasons of Florida’s streak, they won the tournament seven times.
In the second half of the Gators’ 18 seasons, they won five of the six SEC tournaments hosted. While Kentucky obviously cannot compare its first eight seasons due to the retirement of the tournament, there are other pieces that can be compared.
Once the teams reach the NCAA Tournament, the first half of the Gators’ run starts to shine. In the first nine seasons of Florida’s streak, it was able to reach five Final Fours. Kentucky, on the other hand, has only reached one Final Four, that being the national championship year.
Where it gets interesting, however, is looking at the last half of Florida’s 18 years, which is almost identical to Kentucky’s last eight years in NCAA Tournament play. Each with one Round of 32 exit, four Round of 16 exits and two Elite Eight exits.
Kentucky sets itself apart with its one national championship, while Florida has a runner-up and a Final Four exit. Another deep run from the Cats this year could help their case tremendously.
Regular Season History-
The regular season is where the Gators truly thrived. In the first half of their run they posted an insane 124-2 conference record. They followed that up with a 146-6 conference record in the next nine years. During this run, the Gators won 145 consecutive conference games from 1995-2004.
While the Cats are very much not of that quality of a regular-season team, they have still produced a conference record of 148-10 over the last nine years, currently riding a streak of 26 consecutive conference wins.
Digging a little deeper, the Gators only lost a total of 22 sets during their 145-game conference win streak. This includes the 2003 season when they swept the entire conference slate, never losing a set. That squad only lost seven sets all year, six of which were to USC and three of those in the National Championship game.
During the Wildcats’ run, they have been more prone to dropping sets but finding ways to win games. In their streak, they have lost 96 total sets in conference play over the 158 total games played.
While the Wildcats have been successful in regular-season play, the Gators’ run is one of the most dominant volleyball runs the NCAA has seen in recent memory.
Individual Accolades-
The individual awards of players and coaches on Kentucky’s previous nine teams are rather comparable to those of each half of Florida’s run.
The Cats have produced 27 AVCA All-Americans in the past eight seasons, with this season’s All-American teams yet to be announced. Florida produced 34 AVCA All-Americans total, with 11 in the first half of the run and 23 in the second half.
Turning to conference play, Florida produced a total of 87 All-SEC performers during their run. Kentucky sits at 36 with this season’s four representatives just recently announced. Florida had 41 nominees in the first half of their run, and 46 in the second half, each topping the Wildcats.
Florida received a total of 15 SEC Player of the Year awards in its 18 years, including 13 consecutive winners from 1995-2007. Kentucky has had six winners of the award, including Eva Hudson’s recent recognition, marking back-to-back POTY wins for the Cats. Although the Cats come close, this is another place where the Gators run edges out Kentucky’s.
When looking at coaches, Craig Skinner of Kentucky and Mary Wise of Florida are two legends. Skinner has held his job at UK since 2005, Wise at Florida since 1991. Looking at awards, Wise won 11 SEC Coach of the Year awards during their run, six in the first half and five in the second half. Skinner, on the other hand, has won five during the Cats current run.
Overall-
The Gators’ 18-season run is something that would be difficult for any team to match in a conference as deep and talented as the SEC is today. But the Cats are halfway there.
Statistically, the Cats don’t match up quite yet. But they do have the one thing Florida could never get, which is a national championship, the only one in SEC history.
As the Cats enter postseason play with the first SEC Tournament since 2005, followed by the NCAA Tournament, they can begin to solidify their argument against the Gators.
Entering the SEC Tournament as the No. 1 seed and sure to be the same entering the NCAA Tournament, the Cats are set up for postseason success. A deep run or even possibly another national championship could strengthen Kentucky’s argument for the best volleyball program in SEC history.
