UF VB | Florida Falls in Five-Sets to No. 11 Tennessee

Four Gators recorded career-highs

Box Score<https://floridagators.com/documents/2023/11/3/167364.PDF>

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The 20th-ranked Florida volleyball team took No. 11 Tennessee in five-sets, but ultimately fell in a five-set thriller (25-23, 14-25, 25-20, 23-25, 13-15) on Friday night. The Gators move to 14-6, 6-5 SEC, while the Lady Vols improve to 19-3, 10-2 SEC.

Down at the start of set one, Florida closed the gap by going on two different 4-0 scoring runs to take a 23-19 advantage, and take a 25-23 first-set victory. Tennessee grabbed the second set, but the Gators answered in the third with a 25-20 win to take a 2-1 match lead. The Lady Vols answered with a 25-23 win in the fourth frame to take it to five, where winner takes all. In a race to 15, the two teams were notched at 11 all, but Tennessee was able to come away with a 15-13 win to grab their 14th win against the Gators in the all-time series.

Freshman Kennedy Martin fired on all cylinders to a career-best 28 kills and lead the Gators on the offensive side. Sofia Victoria followed with 14 of her own, and Nnedi Okammor pitched in a career-high 12 kills to register a .524 clip.

Kennedy Muff dished out a career-high 60 assists in the match, leading the team to a .264 clip. The fifth year also registered 10 digs and two kills.

Florida tallied a total seven blocks, with five Gators contributing to at least one block assist in the match.

Elli McKissock led the backcourt, coming up with a season-high 24 digs, and finishing with four assists.

Martin also led the way behind the service line, recording a match-high two aces.

The Gators return to Exactech Arena for another top-20 matchup against No. 13 Kentucky on Sunday. The match is slated for 3 p.m. on ESPN

Records
No. 20 Florida (14-6, 6-5 SEC)
No. 11 Tennessee (19-3, 10-2 SEC)

How It Happened

* No points were wasted in the first frame, with six ties and four lead changes. Florida struggled to hit around Tennessee’s block at the start of the first as the Lady Vols took an early 6-2 lead. AC Fitzpatrick responded with a block of her own to keep a 3-0 scoring run alive for the Gators and inch within one. Back-to-back kills from Kennedy Martin tied it all up at eight. Thanks to an ace from Kennedy Muff, the Gators took a 12-9 lead and forced a Tennessee timeout. Out of the break, the Lady Vols regained a 15-14 lead and Florida used their first timeout. Out of the timeout, UF went on a 4-0 scoring run behind back-to-back aces from Martin. After a Tennessee timeout, The Gators went on another 4-0 scoring run to take a 23-19 lead. The Lady Vols battled back, going on their own 3-0 scoring run, and forced Florida to use another timeout. The Gators struggled to put a ball down to end the set, but a kill by Sofia Victoria ended the drought and gave Florida a 25-23 win.
* Martin led the way with four kills in the first frame, followed by three from Sofia Victoria
* After falling behind 8-3 at the start of the second, Tennessee kept a steady lead throughout the entire set. A pancake save by Elli McKissock gave Sofia Victoria an open net to put one down and bring life back into the Gators. The Lady Vols responded by putting together three points to go up by eight. Florida kept the fight, but Tennessee put together two-to-three points for every Gator one, and closed the second set out, 25-14.
* Kennedy Martin led the way with five kills
* Florida responded in the third, going point-for-point with Tennessee. A 4-0 scoring run behind Kennedy Muff’s serves gave the Gators an 11-7 advantage, as the Lady Vols took their first timeout. Out of the break, back-to-back kills from Sofia Victoria increased the lead to 13-7. Tennessee creeped back to make it 15-11, but Gabbi Essix took advantage of an open net and put one down to keep a steady five-point lead. The Lady Vols put together two points to make it 20-17, and Florida took their first timeout of the frame. Out of the timeout, Martin had the next four kills to make it set-point for the Gators, as Tennessee called their final timeout. The Lady Vols failed to return AC Fitzpatrick’s top-spin serve, giving UF a 25-20 win to take a 2-1 match lead.
* Florida hit .385 clip in the third set, led by seven from Martin and five from Victoria.
* It was a battle at the start of the fourth, as both teams wouldn’t let a ball drop. Florida would maintain a one-point lead in the beginning, but Tennessee benefited off of Florida’s serving errors and took a 14-10 lead. Back-to-back kills from Martin knotted it at 15 all. Tennessee regained a two-point lead heading into the final points of the set, and Florida took their first timeout. Out of the break, UF tied it back up at 18, but Tennessee regained a two-point lead, as Florida called their final timeout. The Gators won the next three points to make it 22 all and forced a Vols timeout. The two teams traded points, but Tennessee came away with a 25-23 win.
* The fourth frame had 11 ties, with only one lead change
* The fifth set started out back-and-forth, but Tennessee was the first team to five points. The Gators trailed 8-6 going into the mid-set switch. The Lady Vols scored the next two points, but Sofia Victoria had back-to-back kills kept Florida within two. The Gators went on a 3-0 scoring run behind the serves of McKissock to tie it at 11 all to make Tennessee use its timeout. The Vols take a 13-12 lead, as Florida used its final timeout of the match. Out of the break, Tennessee rallied to a 15-13 win.
Notables

* Kennedy Martin registered a career-high 28 kills
* Martin has recorded the most kills from any freshman after 20 matches in Florida history with 327. Ziva Reck currently holds the top-spot for most kills in a freshman season with 440, set in 2012.
* Her 28 kills on the night continues her streak of recording 10+ kills in every match this season
* Elli McKissock’s 24 digs sets a new season high and puts her only 42 away from surpassing Taylor Unroe’s 1,558, which is second overall in Florida history
* Kennedy Muff dished out 60 assists to set a new career high.
* Nnedi Okkamor’s 12 kills and 14.5 points registers new career highs for the senior
* Freshman Madi Gravlee recorded her first career-kill in the second set
* Martin registered her fifth double-double of the season after finishing with 28 kills and 10 digs.
* Muff registered her fourth double-double of the season, dishing out 60 assists and ending with 10 digs.
* Three Gators recorded double-digit kills:
* Kennedy Martin (28), Sofia Victoria (14), and Nnedi Okammor (12)
* Florida recorded three individual five- set season highs:
* Martin’s 28 kills surpass 27 previously set by Martin on Aug. 26 vs. South Florida
* Martin’s 66 attacking attempts surpasses her 50 set at Auburn on Sept. 22.
* Note: Martin’s 31.5 points just misses her current five-set individual season high, 32.0, which she set against South Florida on August 26th.
* McKissock’s 24 digs surpass her 23 that was set vs. Sacramento State on Sept. 7
* Muff’s 60 assists beat 50 that was previously set by Alexis Stucky on Sept. 7 against Sacramento St.
* Florida recorded four team five-set season highs:
* 70 Kills passes the 68 set at Florida St. on Sept. 12
* 174 attacking attempts beats 167 previously set against Wisconsin on Sept. 16
* 67 digs surpass the 65 set at Auburn on Sept. 22
* 66 assists beats the 62 against Florida St. on Sept. 12
* UF now moves to 55-14 in all-time series against Tennessee
* The Gators are now 2-8 in five set matches against the Lady Vols
* The Gators are currently 5-3 in five set matches during the 2023 campaign
Up Next

* The Gators return to Exactech Arena for another top-20 matchup against No. 13 Kentucky on Sunday.
* The match is slated for 3 p.m. on ESPN
No. 20 Florida vs. No. 13 Kentucky Broadcast Information
Date & Time: Nov. 5 | 3 p.m.
Live Stream: ESPN<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/5d6d67c4-16e1-4e77-ac7d-7db572331e48/redirected/true> | Live Stats: Statbroadcast<http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=477662> | Radio: 98.1FM/850AM<https://www.wruf.com/listen-live/> | Tickets: FloridaGators<https://am.ticketmaster.com/gators/ism/VkIyMzA5>
Series Information – No. 20 Florida vs. No. 13 Kentucky
Wildcats | 2023 season: 12-7, 10-1 SEC