Kennedy Martin led the way for Florida with 17 kills and five aces.
Box Score<https://floridagators.com/common/controls/doc_handler.aspx?doc=37326>
COLLEGE STATION, Tx. – The No. 23 Florida volleyball team found their rhythm on the road, defeating Texas A&M 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-20) on Friday night inside Reed Arena. The Gators move to 12-5 on the season and even their Conference record to 3-3.
All-American sophomore Kennedy Martin was the only Gator to finish with double-digit kills after tallying 17 for a .324 hitting clip. Freshman Jaela Auguste followed with eight of her own, while five other players contributed at least one kill to the stat sheet: Isabel Martin (5), Alexis Stucky (2), AC Fitzpatrick (1), Lauren Harden (1) and Taylor Parks (1).
Redshirt sophomore Alexis Stucky and freshman Taylor Parks both dished out 14 assists in the three setter to aid Florida’s 35 kills.
The Gators had 13.0 team blocks tripled the Aggies 4.0 blocks to hold A&M to a .137 hitting percentage. Freshman Alec Rothe posted a team-high seven blocks. K. Martin followed with six to finish one shy of her season-high, and Stucky tallied two solo blocks to finish with three of her own.
In the backcourt, Libero Elli McKissock picked up 14 of Florida’s 33 digs. Isi Martin recorded five of her own, while six Gators recorded atleast one dig: K. Martin (4), Parks (3), Auguste (2), Stucky (2), FIitzpatrick (2) and Rothe (1).
K. Martin had five of Florida’s six aces to tie her career-high and Parks added one as well.
Records
No. 23 Florida (12-5, 3-3 SEC)
RV Texas A&M (12-4, 3-3 SEC)
How It Happened
Set 1
* A kill from Auguste and hard attack from K. Martin put the Gators up 6-4 at the start of set one. Florida continued to push the points in the opening moments, and back-to-back kills from Isi Martin extended the lead to 12-8. K. Martin put two down on the Aggies side, as Florida went into the media timeout ahead 15-9. Following the break, Texas A&M’s errors added three more points to the Gators lead, and Parks dropped an ace to push to a 22-15 advantage and force an A&M timeout. Out of the huddle, Gator errors allowed the Aggies to hang around and inch within three, but was able to hold on for a 25-21 win.
Set 1 Team Stats | .161 Hitting % | 12 Digs | 10 Kills | 10 Assists | 5.0 Team Blocks | 2 Aces
Set 2
* A&M was the first to five, but their own errors allowed the Gators to take a 7-6 lead at the start of the second set. After trading points, it was Florida who was the first to 10 thanks to a kill from K. Martin. Two team errors allowed the Aggies to tie back up at 13, but a solo block from Stucky put the Gators up 15-14 heading into the media timeout. Out of the break, A&M’s block allowed the home team to take a two-point lead and force Florida to call a timeout after trailing 16-18. The Aggies extended their lead to 20-16, but a block from Rothe and K. Martin ended the Aggies rally. A kill from K. Martin brought the All-American to the service line, where she dropped two aces and carried Florida to a 23-21 lead after a 5-0 service run. Following a Texas A&M timeout, the Aggies put one down to get back within one, but points from Auguste and K. Martin completed the comeback for a 25-22 win.
* Set 2 Team Stats | .179 Hitting % | 12 Kills | 11 Assists | 9 Digs | 4.0 Team Blocks | 2 Aces
Set 3
* There were six ties in the opening ten points of the third set, as the two teams battled back-and-forth for the lead. With Rothe in the middle, the Gators tallied two blocks to tie it at 12, but went into the media timeout trailing 14-15. A dump from Parks tied it back up at 15, and the two teams fought to be the first to 20. The Aggies recorded their third service error and called a timeout after handing Florida a 21-19 advantage. A block from Auguste and K. Martin kept the Gators momentum alive out of the break to inch closer to a sweep. A huge kill from Harden made it match-point Florida, and brought K. Martin back to the service line, where she aced her way to a Gator 25-20 third-set win.
* Set 3 Team Stats | .250 Hitting % | 13 Kills | 13 Assists | 12 Digs | 4.0 Team Blocks | 2 Aces
Notables
* Florida improves to 23-2 (23-2 under Wise) in the all-time series against Texas A&M
* The Gators are now 9-0 against the Aggies in three-set matches
* UF sits at a 12-1 record when playing Texas A&M in College Station, Tx.
* Florida moves to 6-3 in three-set matches during the 2024 season.
* The Gators are now 4-1 when playing on a Friday
* UF improves to 2-2 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
Thoughts from Coach Wise
* “There were so many great individual performances, but most of all as a collective… to come in here and win this match on the road was huge for our growth.”
Up Next
* Florida remains on the road, heading to Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Sunday for an SEC matchup against the LSU Tigers. The Tigers are coming off a week-long break and are 11-6 overall and 3-3 in Conference play. Sunday’s matchup will be on ESPN2 with Sam Gore and Jennifer Hoffman on the call. Additionally, fans not in attendance can follow @GatorsVB on socials for match updates or via live stats.
No. 23 Florida vs. LSU
Sunday, Oct. 20 | 1 p.m. ET
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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