No. 4 Florida volleyball extended its winning streak Sunday, but its fourth consecutive sweep came with late challenges from Arkansas.
The Gators defeated the Razorbacks 25-22, 25-20, 25-23 at the O’Connell Center, improving to 19-2 overall and 10-1 in SEC play. Florida has won six straight matches and 12 consecutive sets while remaining undefeated at home at 10-0. Arkansas fell to 11-11 (3-8 SEC).
Despite never trailing, Florida struggled to close out sets. The Gators hit .227, below their .285 season average entering the weekend, with 17 attack errors and seven service errors.
Junior setter Taylor Parks finished with 30 assists, six kills on seven attempts and three aces, hitting a match-high .857. Parks entered Sunday coming off SEC Player and Setter of the Week honors.
Logan King, Jordyn Byrd and Alec Rothe added seven kills each, while Brooklyn Briscoe had five kills and four blocks.
Arkansas’ Parker Duncan led all players with 14 kills, hitting .357, and Lakin Laurendine added eight. Florida coach Ryan Theis said the Gators had trouble defending Duncan.
“I think we struggled with setup and some communication there from a block setup standpoint, but she’s a really good player,” Theis said. “Siding out is king so she can’t run a bunch of points.”
Florida took control early, opening the first set on a 7-0 run behind three Byrd kills, two blocks involving Byrd and Briscoe and a Lily Hayes ace. But after the Gators built a 24-18 lead, Arkansas scored four straight points. Byrd ended the threat with a kill for a 25-22 win.
Parks fueled another fast start in the second set, serving three consecutive aces with Florida leading 3-1. Rothe followed with a kill as the Gators pushed their lead to 9-1.
“They feel awesome,” Parks said of the aces. “When you turn and everybody’s cheering for you, it feels awesome.”
Arkansas responded late again. Trailing 22-15, the Razorbacks scored four straight points, including two aces by setter Kiki Remensperger, before Florida closed the set on a Rothe-Parks block.
Parks said the Gators needed to be more disciplined when protecting leads.
“I would like to see us have a little bit more consistent discipline throughout the set,” Parks said. “Continuing to slow the game down, stay together, and communicate a little bit better, to keep those leads towards the end.”
The third set was the closest. Tied at 5-5, Florida went on a five-point run, but four service errors and Arkansas’ late push allowed the Razorbacks to tie it at 22-22.
After exchanging points, the teams were tied again at 23. Parks set up King for a kill, and an Arkansas error sealed the sweep.
Despite the win, Theis pointed to preventable mistakes.
“I just think we made too many bad volleyball plays,” Theis said. “In that last set you’ve got like 47 volleys, and then 5 or 6 of them were just making bad touches. Too many missed opportunities.”
Arkansas never led, tying Florida only four times, all in the third set.
The Gators improved to 53-5 all-time against Arkansas and will host South Carolina on Friday, looking to extend their winning streak and defend their perfect home record.
