No. 11 Florida Volleyball Notches Win vs. No. 20 Baylor
Facing another intense non-conference test, No. 11 Florida didn’t back down from the fight. Instead, coach Ryan Theis’ Gators took the fight to visiting No. 20 Baylor, winning their first-ranked home match in five sets (25-20, 22-25, 27-25, 22-25, 15-9).
The Gators (5-2) used a six-point streak to create a 17-10 lead early in set one Sunday. Florida never looked back and hit .400% in the set, vaulting it over Baylor (5-2) to start the match with a lead.
After losing the first set, the Bears bounced back quickly and showcased their persistence. Baylor attacked at better angles and capitalized on Florida’s eight errors to even the match up at one.
The third set was even more competitive than the first two, featuring 15 ties and five lead changes. It wasn’t until a series of kills from Alec Rothe and Aniya Madkin set up a third set point for Florida, followed by an ace from Kira Hutson to clinch the set.
Despite the Gators getting out to a 14-8 lead in set four, Baylor soon came storming back to establish a 23-21 lead. The Bears stared down the jaws of defeat and secured a fifth set, limiting errors and extending the match.
Both teams came out firing on all cylinders, with the deciding set deadlocked at five until Florida broke through. The Gators found their groove again, fueling a 7-0 scoring run and a match-winning ace from freshman Lily Hayes to close out the ranked contest.
Baylor outpaced the Gators in kills by a 69-57 margin, but were plagued by 12 more errors than Florida. The Gators improved on their serving issues, finishing the match with 10 aces compared to 10 service errors.
“One-to-one is an elite ratio. It’s tough to do that every night,” Theis said when asked about the team’s serving. “Glad we didn’t squander a good serve day with a loss. Happy to get out of here with the win in five (sets).”
Florida outside hitter Jordyn Byrd contributed 21 kills, while sophomore Aniya Madkin added a season-high 15 kills.
“I’m excited for more to come,” Madkin said.
Although her homecoming to Gainesville was spoiled, former Gator Gabrielle Essix shined for Baylor’s offensive front with 10 kills.
The weekly AVCA Top 25 poll will surely shake up Monday as a result of the top-20 showdown. Florida now looks ahead to another homecoming on Friday, this time for Theis. The Gators will hit the court next when they travel to Milwaukee to take on Theis’ former squad, Marquette. Baylor will stick around in the Sunshine State, turning its attention to open Big 12 play against UCF on Tuesday.
Category: Gator Sports, Gators Volleyball, Volleyball
