Gators Power Past Alabama in SEC Volleyball Tournament Opener
Behind a heavy-hitting attack and a statement second set, the five seed Gators swept 12 seed Alabama to move on in the SEC Tournament on Saturday afternoon at Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Ga.
The Gators (15-10) advanced to face No. 4 seed Tennessee (19-6) in the quarterfinal round Sunday at 2 p.m. ET (SEC Network).
Florida entered the match fresh, while Alabama carried momentum after playing on Friday, but the Gators quickly stole it back in the 3-0 win. Even with some inconsistencies from the serve line, Florida overpowered the Crimson Tide with aggressive swings and a dominant kill game.
Set One: Florida Edges Through a Tight Opener
Alabama (14-13) struck first, but Florida matched immediately. Early kills from Jaela Auguste and Jordyn Byrd built the Gators’ rhythm, though Alabama stayed close with a block to even the score 10-10. From there, Florida’s Alec Rothe answered with a kill, sparking a back-and-fourth stretch that kept both teams trading blows deep into the set. Auguste continued to lead the early surge, finishing the opening frame with five kills. Florida was able to find just enough separation in the final rallies to take the first set, 25-23.
Set Two: Florida Turns on the Power
Florida carried that energy into the second set. The Gators opened with a point off an error from Alabama to immediately take control. Alabama didn’t score until Florida was already up 5-0.
Florida’s defense fed the momentum, with clean passing and scrappy digs that set up sharp swings. A block from Rothe stretched the lead to 15-4, followed by another kill from Byrd. Back-to-back perfect digs fueled another scoring run as Byrd notched her 10th kill of the day.
Rothe hammered down the final point, putting an exclamation mark on Florida’s most dominant set of the day.
Set Three: Alabama Pushes, Florida Closes the Door
Alabama opened the third set with the first point and briefly held the early edge, but Florida quickly erased the gap and tied it 4-4. Byrd continued her standout performance with more than five kills in the third set, but Florida’s hitting errors kept the set tighter than it needed to be.
Still, the Gators eventually regained their poise. With Alexis Stucky tallying more than 40 assists in the day and guiding the offense back into place, Florida found its footing again. Rothe added a powerful swing to help push the Gators toward the finish line.
A kill from Byrd brought Florida to set point, and then sealed the match after she found the back line for a final kill.
Sunday’s quarterfinal winner would advance to Monday’s 6 p.m. semifinal against the winner from Sunday’s other quarterfinal match between eight seed Auburn (17-10) and top seed Kentucky (22-2),
Category: Gator Sports, Gators Volleyball, SEC
