Florida started the Sunshine Invitational with a 3-0 victory over the Georgia Southern Eagles
Box Score<https://floridagators.com/documents/2022/9/9/UF-GASOUTH_Box.pdf>
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The 16th-ranked Florida volleyball team kicked off the Sunshine Invitational with a sweep over the Georgia Southern Eagles on Friday morning.
The Gators took the first set in decisive fashion, winning 25-15 over the Eagles to start the day. UF then followed with a 25-18 victory in the second frame and secured the sweep with a 25-13 win in the third.
Florida was led on the offensive front by Sofia Victoria, who posted a 12-kill performance on Friday morning. Marina Markova followed with nine kills of her own, while Bre Kelley pitched in five kills and a .625 clip in the match.
In her first start at Florida, Rhett Robinson recorded four kills, while Alexis Stucky and Nnedi Okammor each tallied three in the victory.
Stucky led the Gators to a .271 clip in the three-setter, dishing out 25 assists in the process.
Florida held the Eagles to a -.010 hitting efficiency on the morning, tallying 11.0 blocks in the three-setter. The last time the Gators held an opponent to a negative hitting percentage was Dec. 2, 2021 against Florida A&M (-.026).
Kelley led the defensive effort at the net with a team-high four blocks, while five different Gators notched three of their own: Victoria, Markova, Robinson, Okammor and Stucky.
Elli McKissock paced the backcourt defense, finishing with a team-high 12 digs. Trinity Adams added 10 of her own in the three-set match, just one off her career-high, while Stucky and Emily Canaan posted seven and six, respectively.
McKissock also led the Gators behind the service line, posting three service aces, one shy of her career-high.
The Gators are right back in action tonight at 7:30 p.m. to take on the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles in Exactech Arena. The match will be streamed on SEC Network +. Florida will then close out the tournament against VCU on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Records
No. 16 Florida (4-2)
Georgia Southern (5-2)
How It Happened
* The early morning start did not faze the Gators as the team jumped out to the early 5-1 lead in the first set. Florida continued to build on its advantage, pulling ahead seven after a 4-0 run to force Georgia Southern to use its first timeout at the 10-3 mark. Out of that timeout, the Gators continued to roll, pulling ahead by as many as nine before back-to-back aces from Elli McKissock secured the 25-15 victory.
* Florida hit .476 in the first frame, while keeping the Eagles to a .188 clip. Victoria and Markova each registered a team-high four kills the first set, followed by two from Kelley.
* The second set was a tighter contest between the two teams to start, but the Gators were able to create some distance, grabbing the five-point advantage at 10-5. Georgia Southern cut the deficit to three at 10-7, but Florida kept the Eagles at arm’s length heading into the media timeout holding the 15-10 lead. Out of that timeout, Georgia Southern would not bow out, cutting Florida’s lead to just two at 17-15 to force a UF timeout. Florida strung together a 5-0 run out of that break, taking the 22-15 lead and closed out the set with a 25-18 win to go up 2-0 in the match.
* The Gators held Georgia Southern to a -.031 clip in the second set. Stucky and Markova each registered three kills in the second set, while Kelley and Victoria pitched in two apiece.
* After Georgia Southern took the 2-0 lead to start the third set, the Gators answered with a 5-0 run to take the lead at 5-2. The Eagles dug themselves out of the hole, knotting the frame at 8-8, but once again, the Gators were able to string together a run, this time pulling ahead four at 12-8 to force a Georgia Southern timeout. The Eagles cut the lead to two at 13-11, but a 7-0 Florida run behind the serves of Canaan gave the Gators all of the momentum and allowed them to cruise to a 25-13 victory.
* Victoria ended the final frame with five kills, while Markova and Okammor each added two.
Notables
* The last time Florida held an opponent to a negative hitting efficiency was Dec. 2, 2021 against FAMU (-.026)
* Birdie Hendrickson tied her career-high with four digs
* Sofia Victoria tied her career-best with three blocks
* Alexis Stucky tied her career-high with three kills
* Emily Canaan tied her career-high with six digs
* Florida improves to 4-0 in the all-time series against the Eagles
* The Gators are now 4-0 in three-set matches against Georgia Southern
* UF is now 4-0 against the Eagles in Gainesville, Fla.
* Florida is 2-0 in three-set matches during the 2022 campaign
Up Next
* The Gators face Florida Gulf Coast at 7:30 p.m. Friday night, before closing out the Invitational against VCU on Saturday at 4 p.m.
* Both matches can be streamed on SEC Network +
No. 16 Florida vs. FGCU Broadcast Information
Date & Time: Sept. 9 | 7:30 p.m.
Live Stream: SEC Network+<https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=3992545> | Live Stats: Statbroadcast<http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=417370> | Radio: ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM/850 AM<https://www.wruf.com/listen-live/>
Series Information – No. 16 Florida vs. FGCU
Eagles | 2022 season synopsis: 4-2. 0-0 ASUN
* This is the third meeting between the Gators and the Eagles
* Florida leads 2-0 (2-0 under Mary Wise)
* 3-set: 3-0 | 4-set: 0-0 | 5-set: 0-0
* Home: 1-0 | Away: 0-0 | Neutral: 1-0
* Last Time Out: Nov. 30, 2018 | Orlando, Fla. | W, 3-0 (25-17, 25-13, 25-17)
No. 16 Florida vs. VCU Broadcast Information
Date & Time: Sept. 10 | 4 p.m.
Live Stream: SEC Network+<https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=3992549> | Live Stats: Statbroadcast<http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=417371> | Radio: FloridaGators.com/watch<https://floridagators.com/watch/?Live=4922&type=Archive>
Series Information – No. 16 Florida vs. VCU
Rams | 2022 season synopsis: 3-3, 0-0 A10
* First series meeting
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