Gators Volleyball Drops Season Opener to Stanford

Florida Gators volleyball opened its season with a loss Friday night against No. 6 Stanford. The No. 16 Gators took the defeat in four sets at the AVCA First Serve Showcase in Lincoln, Nebraska.

battled the night#GoGators | Presented by @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/LlIvEOo2sl

— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) August 23, 2025

Last Time Out

Florida’s 2024 campaign ended at the hands of the Cardinal in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. The Gators won the first set 26-24 before Stanford swept the next three to advance to the quarterfinals.

The Cardinal lost to the host and runner-up Louisville that next round.

Set One

Florida led by as much as five points in set number one. They had a first set point at 24-19, but the Cardinal applied pressure to the Gators, who took the set 25-22.

Texas transfer Jordyn Byrd led the Gators with four kills. Stanford’s Elia Rubin matched this number, leading her squad with 4.5 points.

Veteran Florida setter Alexis Stucky had a difficult start to her redshirt junior year, committing three errors in just the first set.

Bouncing Back

Stanford came into the next set with a 2-0 start, and it didn’t back down. After Florida led the whole way in the first, the two squads seemingly switched in dominance.

The Gators had a .121 hit percentage on the set, allowing the Cardinal to win 25-19.

Rubin responded to set one with four kills and four digs to lead Stanford in both categories after two. Byrd and Serbian opposite-hitter Milica Vidacic each had three kills for the Gators.

Middle blockers Jaela Auguste and Alec Rothe hit four kills on eight swings in the first two sets, continuing the moment from their freshman season last year.

https://twitter.com/FOXSports/status/1959091618226872366

Third Set

After taking the first point of the set, the Gators lost three straight. The Cardinal continued to lead through the set until Florida came back on a 4-0 run to lead 13-11.

Stanford stuck with it, keeping it close the rest of the way. This set saw 10 ties after there were a combined five in the first two. Stanford had a 4-0 scoring run of its own, which ultimately gave it the 25-22 win.

Final

The tight race continued into the fourth set, as the two squads were tied a total of 12 times. Stanford won the match with another 25-22 finish after a net violation by Florida.

History repeated itself for the Cardinal with another four set win over the Gators.

Match Highlights

The senior outside-hitter Rubin was the first to 10 kills in the match, achieving the double-double in kills and digs early in the third set. Stucky also hit this mark in the third, ending the match with 39 assists and 12 digs.

Trouble in the serving game was a big contributer to this loss for the Gators. Compared to its one and only ace, Florida produced 11 service errors on the match.

Freshman Lily Hayes comes into this season as the replacement for star libero Elli McKissock and proved she will be a great talent for the Gators, putting up 12 digs. Byrd also showed great skill in her new uniform, hitting a match-high 17 kills and 18 points.

Up Next

After 34 seasons under the leadership of Mary Wise, Florida finally began its new era with head coach Ryan Theis. Gator Nation looks for the first win of his tenure in Florida’s second and final match in the AVCA First Serve Showcase against No. 3 Pitt Sunday at 1 p.m.

Category: Gator Sports, Gators Volleyball, NCAA, Volleyball