Libero Elli McKissock becomes the program’s all-time leader for career digs, while Kennedy Martin surpasses 1,000 career kills.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After winning the opening set, the No. 6 seeded Florida volleyball team battled point-for-point until falling to No. 2 seeded Stanford in four sets (26-24, 17-25, 24-26, 27-29) on Thursday night in Freedom Hall.
On top of making the programs 34-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, the Gators finish the 2024 season with a 23-8 overall record. Additionally, Florida finished 11-5 in SEC play, which tied for third in the conference.
In her final match wearing the Orange and Blue, Elli McKissock surpassed former Gator Elyse Cusack 2,138 career digs to become Florida volleyball’s all-time leader in career digs with 2,147. The Windermere, Fla. native served as the Gators starting libero for 122-consecutive matches. Her 144 career aces ranks 8th in the program, while being 21st for career assists with 544.
Florida’s offensive attack was led behind Kennedy Martin’s 21 kill. The sophomore recorded her 1,000 career kill during the fourth set, becoming the fastest Gator to reach the milestone in just 53 matches. Former Gator Aury Cruz’s 67 matches previously held the honor.
Jaela Auguste was the second Gator to finish with double-digit kills, as the freshman hit .412 after recording 11 kills. Isabel Martin tallied eight and AC Fitzpatrick had six in their final collegiate match.
Alexis Stucky finished her season on a high note, dishing out 37 assists and having 11 digs in the match to record her second double-double of the season. Taylor Parks saw action in the setters position during the fourth set and added six assists and six digs.
As a team, the Gators posted 10 team blocks, with the Martin duo having two solo blocks each and Stucky adding one. Overall, K. Martin finished with a team-high five blocks, while Isi Martin (3.0), Auguste (2.0), Amaya Thomas (2.0), Fitzpatrick (1.0) and Alec Rothe (1.0) contributing to the stat line.
McKissock led the backcourt defense, having 13 digs in the four setter. Other than Stucky’s 11 and Parks’ six, Isi Martin finished with seven of her own, while K. Martin had six of her own. Fitzpatrick finished with four, Emerson Hoyle had two and and Emily Canaan and Thomas added one each.
Usually finding success behind the service line, Florida didn’t record any aces on Thursday. Stanford dropped six, but had 17 service errors compared to the Gators eight.
Records
No. 6/22 Florida (23-8, 11-5 SEC)
No. 2/5 Stanford (28-4, 17-3 ACC)
How It Happened
Set 1
* After a slow 1-5 start, A kill from Thomas got things rolling out of a timeout for Florida in the opening set. Stanford kept a steady lead in the first half, but a line shot from K. Martin sent her fellow Martin to the service line, where the Martin duo served and scored six-straight points to give the Gators a 12-11 lead and force a Cardinal timeout. Out of the break, the Gators held onto a one-point lead heading into the final moments, as an overpass gave Thomas an open net for a 10-foot beat down to extend Florida’s lead to 19-16. The Cardinal responded with a 3-0 scoring run to tie it up and Coach Wise called a timeout with 21-21 on the scoreboard. A kill from Auguste put Florida back on top, but Stanford gained a 23-22 lead before a service error notched it up at 24. A backrow attack from K. Martin made it set-point Florida and a pancake save from Hoyle in the backrow gave momentum to her fellow teammates, as a block from Isi Martin secured the comeback 26-24 set-one win.
* Set 1 Team Stats | .417 Hitting % | 18 Kills | 17 Assists | 13 Digs | 4.0 Team Blocks | 0 Aces
Set 2
* Tied at 3-3 in the second set, Stanford went on a 4-0 scoring run to take a 10-5 lead. Points from the Martin duo kept the Gators within striking distance, as back-to-back blocks from Auguste and Martin inched Florida to 11-14. Following a Hambly timeout, the Cardinal responded with an ace and a kill to extend their lead to 17-12 and force a Florida timeout. A block by Isi Martin warranted a Gator sideout, but service errors allowed Stanford to extend their lead to 22-16. A kill from K. Martin kept the fight for Florida, but the Cardinal came away with a 25-17 second-set win.
* Set 2 Team Stats | 16 Digs | .139 Hitting % | 9 Kills | 8 Assists | 2.0 Team Blocks | 0 Aces
Set 3
* A solo block from K. Martin put Florida up 4-1 in the opening points. Back-to-back attacks inched Stanford within two, but a right-side attack from K. Martin and an outside line shot from Fitzpatrick allowed for an 7-5 advantage. The Cardinal fought back to notch it up at nine where both teams went on to battle point-for-point heading to the first half of set three and the Gators went into the media timeout with a 15-14 lead. Out of the break, Florida faced the adversity of Canaan suffering an knee injury after diving for a ball, but kept the pace with Stanford and forced a Cardinal timeout after Isi Martin pushed the Gators to a 19-18 lead. Out of the huddle, Stanford tallied the next three points to grab an 22-20 advantage and make Coach Wise call a timeout. With set-point Stanford, the connection of Stucky to Auguste kept the Gators alive, as a backrow attack from K. Martin evened the score at 25 to send the set to extra points before falling 24-26 in the third set.
* Set 3 Team Stats | .229 Hitting % | 13 Digs | 11 Kills | 11 Assists | 2.0 Team Blocks | 0 Aces
Set 4
* Trailing 5-1, a backrow attack from K. Martin ended a 3-0 scoring run from the No. 2 seed. Two-straight errors from Stanford made it a one-point match. A solo block from Stucky kept the momentum going, as Florida battled back to tie it up at 10-10. The Cardinal regained a 13-11 lead, but errors allowed the Gators to remain within one heading into the media timeout. A kill from K. Martin followed by a solo block pushed Florida to a 16-15 lead, where the two teams battled point-for-point heading into the closing points. Coach Wise called her final timeout after falling behind to a 20-22 deficit and rallied her team to tie it up at 22 after back-to-back kills from the Martin duo. An open net allowed Thomas to take a 23-22 lead before the Cardinal evened it back up at 24. An Attack error from Stanford forced Coach Hambly to use his second timeout after Florida grabbed set-point, but Stanford would tie it up two more times before earning a 29-27 fourth-set win.
* Set 4 Team Stats | .172 Hitting % | 13 Kills | 12 Assists | 12 Digs | 2.0 Team Blocks | 0 Aces
Notables
* The Gators move to 84-35 in the NCAA Tournament, including an 83-34 record under Mary Wise
* Florida is now 18-12 in the NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinal
* UF becomes 1-4 (1-4 under Wise) against Stanford in NCAA Tournament Play
* The Gators are now 6-10 (6-10 under Wise) in the all-time series record against Stanford
* In the NCAA Tournament, Florida moves to 17-18 in neutral-site matches
* UF is now 3-5 in neutral-site matches against the Cardinal
* Florida becomes 2-3 in four-set matches against Stanford
* Florida finished 9-3 in four-set matches in the 2024 season
* The Gators finish with a 2-1 record in December
* Florida is now 2-3 against ACC Opponents
* Alexis Stucky posted her second double-double of the season, with 37 assists and 11 digs.
* Kennedy Martin (21) and Jaela Auguste (11) finished with double-digit kills
* Elli McKissock and Alexis Stucky both registered double-digit digs with 13 and 11, respectively.
* Kennedy Martin’s 21 Kills continues her streak of recording double-digit kills in every match she has played wearing the Orange and Blue (53 matches)
* Elli McKissock finished her tenure as a Gator in the record books in three categories:
* 1st for career digs (2,147), 8th for career aces (144) and 21st for career assists (544)
* Alexis Stucky ranks 14th for career assists in Program history with 1.985
* Taylor Parks ranks 19th for career assists in Program history with 857
Thoughts from Coach Wise
Opening Statement…
“Congratulations to Stanford. That was a heck of a match. Worthy of a regional semifinal, if not a regional final. I could not be more proud of this team, this group of seniors here, and the ones still in the locker room. The adversity we have dealt with this year is like no other. We said going in that we haven’t had a single match where we had everyone healthy enough to play and we got even thinner tonight, and yet they battled. This group is just amazing and I know every Gator volleyball alum and Gator Nation is awfully proud of this group. I couldn’t be more proud of them. Stanford is a tough matchup for a lot of teams, particularly our team with their size and their athleticism. Yet there we were, toe to toe with a swing to go to five sets. Truly was one of the most remarkable… People will look at the scores and say ‘Sure Stanford won’, but they will have no idea the guts this group showed up with and played with tonight.”
On the senior class and their leadership and legacy…
“I think one of the legacies this group will leave is that you can embrace the hard and that there are days that are a grind for student-athletes in any sport. This group, these seniors, sent the message. They didn’t run from it; they ran to it. The joy in which they showed up in practice, bus rides, morning workouts, it was such an honor to be around them. I hope, whether it’s a pro team or corporation, there are some CEOs up here, that they will be surrounded with the positivity that they brought to our team. It is a wonderful lesson for all of us going forward.”
2024 NCAA volleyball tournament schedule
* Selection show: 6 p.m. ET Sunday, Dec. 1 on ESPN
* First and second rounds: Thursday, Dec. 5 through Saturday, Dec. 7
* Regionals: Thursday, Dec. 12 through Sunday, Dec. 15
* Semifinals: Begin at 6:30 p.m. ET Thursday, Dec. 19 on ESPN
* National championship: 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Dec. 22 on ABC
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