No. 5 Florida Volleyball Remains Undefeated at Home With Sweep of Ole Miss

The Rebels challenged the Gators early in all three sets Sunday afternoon, but it was Florida which consistently found ways to pull away.

No. 5 Florida swept Ole Miss in straight sets (25-21, 25-15, 25-18) at the O’Connell Center for its fourth consecutive win and second straight home sweep following Friday’s win against LSU.

Florida (17-2, 8-1 SEC) also remained undefeated at home this season, improving to 9-0. The Rebels (8-12, 2-7) entered having never won in Gainesville in a series that spans 70 meetings. Ole Miss has not defeated Florida at any location since 1989.

The Gators’ offense proved to be the difference, finishing with a .393 hitting percentage, 45 kills and just 12 attack errors on 84 attempts. Ole Miss struggled to match that production, hitting .128 with 30 kills and 18 attack errors.

Kamryn Chaney led Florida with 13 kills, while Alec Rothe added 11 kills on a .588 hitting percentage and four blocks. Brooklyn Briscoe also delivered a perfect offensive performance, recording six kills on six attempts without an attack error.

“Yeah, she was really efficient,” Florida coach Ryan Theis said of Briscoe. “Taylor [Parks] gave her some really good looks. She’s getting really efficient and it was fun to see.”

Parks finished with 35 assists, four kills and two service aces, helping Florida maintain its offensive efficiency throughout the match.

Ole Miss kept the opening set competitive, with seven ties and three lead changes before Florida began to establish control. After the score was tied at eight, consecutive kills from Chaney and Logan King forced an Ole Miss timeout.

The Gators maintained their advantage throughout the remainder of the set, with Briscoe eventually securing the 25-21 win. Florida hit .500 in the opening frame, with Chaney, Rothe and Briscoe each contributing four kills.

The Rebels continued to challenge Florida in the second set. After Chaney opened with back-to-back kills, Ole Miss responded with a four-point run to take a 5-4 lead.

Ole Miss later held a 10-9 lead before Florida responded with a 10-1 run to take a 19-11 lead. Rothe contributed three kills during the stretch, while the Gators recorded four blocks in the set on their way to a 25-15 win.

Chaney credited those scoring runs to the team’s ability to execute individual responsibilities and support one another.

“For the big runs, it’s mainly about everybody doing their role well and efficiently,” Chaney said. “We have each other’s backs, so the chemistry is kind of easy when we’re just playing.”

The third set followed a similar pattern, with Ole Miss building an early 8-6 lead before Florida responded with four consecutive points to regain the lead.

“These guys, they get after it and they don’t back down,” Theis said. “They’re a lot of fun to be around, and if somebody pushes, they’ll push back.”

Florida extended its lead to 21-15, but Ole Miss made one final push, scoring three consecutive points to cut the deficit to three.

Chaney answered with back-to-back kills before Parks recorded a service ace. An attack error by Ole Miss’ Melia Johnson completed Florida’s four-point closing run.

Florida heads back on the road at Auburn for a 7 p.m. Friday match. 

Category: Feature Sports News, Gator Sports, Gators Volleyball