The No. 19 Gators attacking was led by Kennedy Martin’s 17 kills.
Box Score<https://floridagators.com/documents/2024/10/13/South_Carolina_Box_Score.pdf>
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 19 Florida volleyball team concluded their four-match homestand with a 0-3 loss (23-25, 14-25, 18-25) to South Carolina on Sunday inside the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The Gators now sit 11-5 overall and 2-3 in SEC play.
Sophomore All-American Kennedy Martin registered 17 kills to lead Florida’s offense, while redshirt senior Isabel Martin finished with seven. Freshman Alec Rothe and redshirt sophomore Alexis Stucky had four kills apiece, while freshman Jaela Auguste (3), junior Amaya Thomas (2) and fifth year AC Fitzpatrick (3) combined for eight of the Gators 40 kills.
Stucky dished out 30 assists on Sunday, as the All-American setter finished just shy of her second double-double after having eight digs.
On the defense end, the Gators out blocked South Carolina’s 7.0 team blocks, with Rothe posting two solo blocks and three block assists. Stucky finished with one solo block of her own and four block assists, while Auguste tallied two and Fitzpatrick added one to Florida’s 8.0 total team blocks.
Libero Elli McKissock picked up a match-high 17 digs, as six other Gators contributed in the backcourt: Stucky (8), K. Martin (5), Isi. Martin (3), junior Emily Canaan (3), Fitzpatrick (2) and freshman Taylor Parks (1).
Stucky and Fitzpatrick were the only Florida players to register an ace in the three setter.
Records
No. 19 Florida (11-5, 2-3 SEC)
South Carolina (10-5, 1-3 SEC)
How It Happened
Set 1
* After trailing 4-1 in the opening set, a kill from K. Martin ended a 3-0 Gamecock scoring run. Gator serving errors and back-to-back South Carolina blocks forced Florida to use their first timeout after falling to a 7-11 deficit. Out of the huddle, the Gators continued to trail by four until Auguste put two down and tag teamed with Stucky at the net for a block to inch within one and force a South Carolina timeout. Another block from Auguste and Stucky tied it at 14, but the Gamecocks quickly regained a two-point lead. A slide from Rothe tied it back up at 17, and the Gators grabbed the next two points thanks to a solo Stucky block and an Isi Martin kill to take a 19-17 lead. Out of a South Carolina timeout, the Gamecocks climbed back to tied it up at 23 and take set one from the Gators after securing a 25-23 victory.
* Set 1 Team Stats | .316 Hitting % |18 Kills | 17 Assists | 17 Digs | 4.0 Team Blocks | 1 Ace
Set 2
* A block from Fitzpatrick and Rothe, followed by a kill from the fifth year gave the Gators a 4-2 lead at the start of the second. South Carolina went on a 4-0 scoring run and forced Florida to call a timeout after trailing 5-9. Out of the huddle, the Gators couldn’t find a rhythm and called another timeout after trailing 10-19. Two kills from Thomas and a dump from Stucky kept Florida alive, but it was not enough to make a comeback and fell 14-25.
* Set 2 Team Stats | .100 Hitting % | 10 Kills | 10 Assists | 7 Digs | 1 Ace | 1.0 Team Block
Set 3
* After an 0-3 start, K. Martin recorded her tenth kill of the match to put Florida on the board, but serving errors allowed the Gamecocks to hold a 11-6 advantage. Following a Gator timeout, Stucky dumped one over to side out, but South Carolina continued to push the points for a 14-8 lead. A solo block from Rothe and an attack from K. Martin inched the Gators within four, but aggressive serving from the Gamecocks extended their lead to 21-13. Points from Auguste, Stucky, Rothe and K. Martin gave Florida some momentum, but South Carolina held on for a 25-18 win.
* Set 3 Team Stats | .212 Hitting % | 15 Digs | 12 Kills | 10 Assists | 3.0 Team Blocks | 0| Aces
Notables
* Florida moves to 64-5 (56-5 under Wise) in the all-time series against South Carolina
* The Gators are now 47-3 in three-set matches against the Gamecocks
* The Gators are now 3-3 when playing on Sunday
* UF is now 1-2 in October matches
* Kennedy Martin’s 17 Kills continues her streak of recording double-digit kills in every match she has played wearing the Orange and Blue
* Elli McKissock ranks 2nd for career digs (1884), 10th for career aces (128) and 21st for career assists (495) in Program history
* Alexis Stucky ranks 14th for career assists in Program history with 1,734
Up Next
* The Gators play their next two matches on the road, traveling to College Station, Texas on Friday and Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Sunday. Friday’s matchup against Texas A&M is set for 7 p.m. ET and can be watched on the SEC Network. Sunday’s 1 p.m. ET matchup versus LSU will be streamed on ESPN2. Additionally, fans now in attendance can follow @GatorsVB on socials for match updates or via live stats.
* Fans can purchase single-game tickets for the remaining matches. To purchase, click here<https://am.ticketmaster.com/gators/buy?id=NzEx>. For more information on football tickets, call the Gator Ticket Office at (352) 375-4683<tel:3523754683>.
Scouting Report
No. 19 Florida vs. Texas A&M
Friday, Oct. 18 | 7 p.m. ET
Florida 10-5, 2-2 SEC | Texas A&M 12-2, 3-1 SEC
Reed Arena – College Station, Tx
SECN<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/275773e8-1048-4453-bf97-de7475686322> | Live Stats<https://12thman.com/sidearmstats/wvball>
Series Information
* Series Record 22-2 (21-2 under Wise)
* 3-set: 8-0, 4-set: 9-0; 5-set: 5-2
* Home: 10-1; Away: 11-1; Neutral: 1-0
* Last time out | W, 3-1 | A | 23-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-12
No. 19 Florida vs. LSU
Sunday, Oct. 20 | 1 p.m. ET
Florida 10-5, 2-2 SEC | LSU 10-6, 2-3 SEC
Maravich Center – Baton Rouge, La.
ESPN2<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/1b448d1d-33ad-4b2d-9102-a8b4e8cf7a1d> | Live Stats<https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=538919>
Series Information
* Series Record 52-14 (49-6 under Wise)
* 3-set: 30-7; 4-set: 17-7; 5-set: 5-0
* Home: 26-5; Away: 21-7; Neutral: 3-2
* Last time out | W, 3-0 | H | 25-17, 25-23, 25-16
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