In the first game of two this weekend, the Florida volleyball team swept the Kentucky Wildcats in three straight sets . The Gators have now won six straight matches and take the lone spot on top of the SEC standings.
The Gators improve to 21-4 on the year and 13-2 in the SEC after winning five straight matches, while Kentucky falls to 17-7 on the year and 12-3 in league play.
Outside hitter Sofia Victoria led the offensive attack for the Gators with 13 kills, followed closely behind by Marina Markova with 11. Merritt Beason and Bre Kelley each added six kills of their own.
Freshman Alexis Stucky had herself a night, dishing out 35 assists and nine digs. Libero Elli McKissock recorded a team-high 15 digs and Emily Canaan added 10. Trinity Adams and Beason each recorded six to help secure the three-set win for the Gators.
Gators Start Off Strong
The Gators and Wildcats battled back and forth with scoring, each team putting up one point after the other. By the first media timeout, Kentucky took a two point lead 13-15. Victoria brought the heat, bringing the score to a tie at 15. The Gators took Victoria’s momentum and turned it into a four-point run, forcing the Wildcats to take their first timeout at 17-15.
The momentum was not lost, as Stucky delivered a huge kill to force Kentucky to take their second timeout at the 21-16 mark. The offense kept a good pace for the rest of the set and won with a score of 25-18.
Kentucky Fights Back, But Can’t Deliver
Florida started the second set very slow, allowing Kentucky to take an early 3-1 lead. The Gators didn’t take long to put their foot on the gas, tying the set up at 6. Markova continued her reign from the first set, forcing the Wildcats to take their first timeout at 10-7. Kentucky came out strong from the timeout, and came close to taking back the lead. Markova made sure that wouldn’t happen, delivering three straight kills to make the score 14-10. Kentucky’s downfall in the second set was their service errors, allowing seven.
The Gators took their first timeout when Kentucky came within one point at 19-18. The set tied at 20, but Florida didn’t slow down. Kentucky took their final timeout with Florida leading the set 22-20 to talk strategy, but it was no use. Florida dominated in the final points, winning the set 25-21.
https://twitter.com/GatorsVB/status/1594088926306000897
Gators Close the Night
Once again, the scoring went back-and-forth at the beginning of the set, tying at six. Kentucky managed to take their first multi-point lead since the beginning of the second set at 7-10. Florida came back up and continued swapping points with the Wildcats until the tied the game back up at 13 points.
Stucky had a phenomenal night, tying her career high in kills, five, during the third set. Kentucky took the lead at 17-19, but the Gators fought back and tied the set at 20. The Gators took back the lead 21-20, keeping the fans on the edge of their seats as they crawled closer to the end of the set.
Finally, McKissock delivered a service ace for the win, only allowing Kentucky to score once in the final points. The final score of the set was 25-21.
The rook ties her career-high with 5⃣ kills!
Set 3 // UF – 7 | UK – 7 #GoGators pic.twitter.com/iZkz1j7tNq
— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) November 19, 2022
Up Next
The Wildcats will return to Exactech Arena Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. for the Gator’s Senior Night, their final home game of the season.