The Gators recorded 16 service aces in their win against Alabama State.
Box Score<https://floridagators.com/documents/2024/9/12/Vs._Alabama_State_Box_Score.pdf>
ATLANTA, Ga. – The No. 13 Florida volleyball team put together a well-rounded performance on Thursday, sweeping Alabama State, 25-13, 25-12, 25-11, inside O’Keefe Gym. The Gators climb to 6-2 on the season and 2-0 in neutral-site matchups.
Florida’s serving set the tone of the match, posting 16 aces to tie for second nationally in team aces during a three-set match. Elli McKissock served three-consecutive aces in the third set to finish with a career-high five. The starting libero ties for 15th overall in program history with 120 aces. AC Fitzpatrick joined her fellow fifth-year with five aces to record a season-high and finished just one short of tying her career-high. Freshman setter Taylor Parks tied her career-high three aces for the third time this season while Emily Canaan, Erin Engel and Bella Lee all registered one in the sweep.
Seven players contributed to the Gators game-high .456 hitting percentage, with Parks assisting 24 kill of Florida’s 30 kills. Upperclassman Isabel Martin and Fitzpatrick led the team with six kills apiece. Freshman Jaela Auguste followed with five and fellow rookie Lauren Harden posted a career-high four kills. Freshman Alec Rothe and junior Amaya Thomas also finished with four, while Parks registered one herself.
The Gators 11.0 team blocks held the Hornets to a .014 hitting clip, with Auguste leading the way for the fifth time this season. The middle blocker tied her career-high seven total blocks for the second time after posting 5 block assists and a career-high two solo blocks. Rothe totaled four, while Thomas (3) and Martin (2) had a combined five block assists. Harden and Fitzpatrick tallied one each.
On the defensive end, Canaan had seven digs to lead Florida in the backcourt for the first time this season. McKissock finished with six of her own, while Bella Lee totaled a career-high three digs in her first-collegiate match. Additionally, four other Gators added at least one dig to the stat sheet: Fitzpatrick (2), Martin (2) Parks (1) and Rothe (1)
Records
No. 13 Florida (6-2, 0-0 SEC)
Alabama State (3-5, 0-0 SWAC)
How It Happened
Set 1
* The Gators were the first to five after back-to-back blocks in the opening points of set one. Parks set two behind for Auguste to hit both slides down for a 7-4 lead. Following a 4-0 scoring run behind Fitzpatrick’s top-spin serve extended Florida’s lead to seven. A few points later, the fifth year and the freshman worked together in the front to to produce three more points for a 21-10 Florida lead. An ace from serving specialist Erin Engel followed by kills from Thomas and Martin gave the Gators a 25-13 win.
* Set 1 Team Stats | .609 Hitting % | 14 Kills | 13 Assists | 7 Digs | 5 Team Blocks | 2 Aces
Set 2
* Two aces from Taylor Parks granted a 4-0 lead and forced Alabama State to cause an early timeout in set two. Auguste kept Florida’s block strong, assisting in two blocks to keep the momentum going Bella Lee checked into her first collegiate match and on her first serve attempt, the freshman dropped an ace to make it 13-3. The Gators continued their all-around play, thanks to a Parks solo block from Parks and another ace from Fitzpatrick. Canaan followed with an ace of her own and Harden made it set point after recording her first collegiate kill. In the next play, Harden and Auguste closed the block to secure a 25-12 win.
* Set 2 Team Stats | .625 Hitting % | 6 aces | 5 Assists | 5 Kills | 5 Team Blocks | 3 Digs
Set 3
* McKissock continued the ace trend, serving three-consecutive aces to start the third set with a 6-1 lead. The Gators maintained their five-point gap, but stretched to an 18-9 lead after aces from Parks and Fitzpatrick. The Hornets ended the ace party, but a 5-0 scoring run pushed Florida to a 25-11 win.
* Set 3 Team Stats | .269 Hitting % | 11 Kills | 10 Assists | 12 Digs | 8 Aces | 1 Team Block
Notables
* Bella Lee made her collegiate debut in the Orange and Blue
* The Gators contributed to Alabama State’s lowest statistical performance across the board during the 2024 season
* Six Gators set or tied a career-high in the three setter
* Jaela Auguste: 7 total blocks (tied) | 2 block solos
* AC Fitzpatrick: 2 assists (tied)
* Lauren Harden: 4 kills | 1 block
* Bella Lee: 3 digs | 1 ace
* Elli Mckissock: 5 aces
* Taylor Parks: 3 aces (tied) | 1 block solo (tied)
* UF improves to 5-0 (5-0 under Wise) in all-time series against Alabama State
* The Gators are now 5-0 in three-set matches against the Hornets
* Florida now holds a 1-0 record against Alabama State in a natural-site matchup
* UF is now 3-1 in three-set matches during the 2024 season
Thoughts from Coach Wise
* “We learned a lot about ourselves from the Georgia Tech match and it was every bit of a challenge that we thought it would be based on their talent and experience. With a quick turnaround, we came back to work and had a very focused effort today.
Up Next
* The Gators welcome No. 21 Florida State to Gainesville on Tuesday, Sept. 17. The in-state rivalry matchup gets underway at 7 p.m. in Exactech Arena inside the Stephan O’Connell Center. The top-25 matchup will air on ESPN with Paul Sunderland and Missy Whittemore on the call. Additionally, fans can listen to Tom Collett and Nick Cheronis on the radio for play-by-play action or follow via live stats.
No. 13 Florida vs. No. 21 Florida State
Tuesday, Sept. 17 | 7 p.m. ET
#13 Florida 6-2 | #21 Florida State 5-1
Exactech Arena – Gainesville, Fla.
ESPN<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/7c371de7-c8c0-4786-ad44-cd815d1669ae/redirected/true> | Listen<https://floridagators.com/watch/?Live=5481> | Live Stats<https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=538162> | Tickets<https://am.ticketmaster.com/gators/en/buy/ism/VkIyNDA0>
Series Information
* Series Record 45-21 (38-7 under Wise)
* 3-set: 25-7; 4-set: 13-6; 5-set: 7-8
* Home: 26-6; Away: 16-11; Neutral: 3-4
* Last time out | W, 3-2 | A | 18-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-17, 16-14
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