UF VB | Florida Falls to No. 25 Auburn

Kennedy Martin led the way with 12 kills on the night

Box Score<https://floridagators.com/documents/2023/10/6/162706.PDF>

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The ninth-ranked Florida volleyball team fell to the 25th-ranked Auburn Tigers in straight sets on Friday night.

The Gators move to 11-3 on the year and 3-2 in SEC play, while Auburn improves to 13-3 overall and 3-2 in league contests.

Auburn took the first set in a tightly-contested 25-23 battle, then followed with a 25-20 win in the second to take the 2-0 match lead. The Tigers closed out the match with a 25-17 victory in the final frame.

Kennedy Martin led the offensive attack for Florida on the night, finishing with 12 kills and a .333 clip. Sofia Victoria followed with eight kills of her own, while AC Fitzpatrick and Anna Dixon each recorded five kills on the night.

Fifth year setter Kennedy Muff dished out 28 assists in the three-setter, while Elli McKissock and Emily Canaan each added two.

Nnedi Okammor finished the night with two blocks, while Fitzpatrick added one.

McKissock paced the backcourt defense with 10 digs, while Canaan pitched in seven digs of her own. Muff and Trinity Adams each registered four digs apiece on the night.

Behind the service line, Martin and Adams each recorded one ace in the match.

The Gators return to action on Sunday to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide (10-5, 0-4 SEC). First serve is slated for 1 p.m. on SEC +.

Records
No. 9 Florida (11-3, 3-2 SEC)
No. 25 Auburn (13-3, 3-2 SEC)

How It Happened

* Auburn took the very early 2-0 lead, but the Gators answered with a 5-1 run to pull ahead at the 5-3 mark. Florida continued to hold the slight advantage through the middle portion of the set, with its biggest lead growing to three at 14-11. The Tigers battled back to tie up the frame at 14-all, but it was Florida that held the 15-14 lead heading into the media timeout. Out of the break, Auburn took its first lead since the start of the match at the 16-15 mark. The two teams traded points, but when the Tigers grabbed the 21-20 advantage, Florida utilized its first timeout of the frame. After the timeout, the Gators fought back to tie it at 23-all, but Auburn closed on a 2-0 run to take the first set.
* Florida hit .308 in the opening frame, led by four kills from Kennedy Martin and three kills from Anna Dixon.
* The Tigers jumped out to the early 6-2 lead in the second set, forcing the Gators to use their first timeout. Florida pulled to within two out of the timeout, but Auburn took its largest lead of the set thus far at the 11-6 mark. The Gators cut the deficit to just two at 12-10, but the Tigers once again pulled ahead, this time by five at the 19-14 mark to force another UF timeout. Florida pulled to within three at 22-19 and again at 23-20, but Auburn held on for the 25-20 win.
* Martin posted a team-high five kills in the second frame, while Victoria added three of her own.
* After Auburn took the 6-1 lead to start the third set, Florida was forced to use its first timeout. Out of the break, the Gators cut the deficit to just three at 8-5, but the Tigers responded to take the six-point lead at 13-7. Florida chipped away to make the score 14-10, but once again Auburn was able to create some distance, taking the 17-11 advantage. The Gators battled back to within four at the 20-16 mark, but after the Tigers took the 22-16 lead, Florida used its last timeout. Out of the break, Auburn closed out the set with a 3-1 run to secure the match.
* Victoria led the way in the final frame with five kills, followed by three from Martin and two from Fitzpatrick.
Notables

* Kennedy Martin continued her streak of consecutive matches with 10 or more kills, moving to 14-straight matches
* With her 10 digs on the night, Elli McKissock is now just 33 digs away from tying Lyra Vance for third place in program history (1,444 digs)
* The Gators move to 54-3 in the all-time series against the Tigers, including a 50-2 record under Wise
* Florida moves to 4-1 in three-set matches during the 2023 campaign
Up Next

* The Gators are back in action on Sunday against Alabama
* First serve is slated for 1 p.m. on SEC +
No. 9 Florida vs. Alabama Broadcast Information
Date & Time: Oct. 8 | 1 p.m.
Live Stream: SEC+<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/8ebae6aa-4678-4080-97a3-76176483eb6f/redirected/true> | Live Stats: Statbroadcast<http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=477659> | Radio: 98.1FM/850AM<https://www.wruf.com/listen-live/> | Tickets: FloridaGators<https://am.ticketmaster.com/gators/ism/VkIyMzA5>
Series Information – No. 9 Florida vs. Alabama
Crimson Tide | 2023 season: 10-5, 0-4 SEC