The Gators held the Eagles to a .077 hitting percentage on the afternoon
Box Score<https://floridagators.com/documents/2023/9/9/157882.PDF>
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The third-ranked Florida volleyball team finished the Gators Invitational on a high note, sweeping the Winthrop Eagles on Saturday afternoon.
With today’s victory, the Gators have moved to 7-0 for the seventh time in program history.
Alexis Stucky was named MVP of the Gators Invitational, while Kennedy Martin and Elli McKissock were each named to the All-Tournament Team.
The first set was all Gators, with Florida winning 25-12. UF then followed with a 25-19 victory in the second set and capped off the match with a 25-15 win in the third.
Florida’s offensive attack was led by the duo of AC Fitzpatrick and Kennedy Martin, who posted 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Sofia Victoria and Anna Dixon each added six kills apiece on the afternoon.
Sophomore setter Alexis Stucky led the team to a .375 hitting percentage on the afternoon, the best clip of the season. She dished out 24 assists in the win, followed by six from Elli McKissock.
Florida held Winthrop to a .077 clip in the match, tallying 9.0 blocks. Martin posted a team-high five, followed by four by Nnedi Okammor and three from Dixon.
McKissock recorded a team-high 12 digs, followed by five apiece from Martin and Trinity Adams.
Behind the service line, Adams and Martin each registered two aces to lead the way for the Gators.
The Gators are back in action on Tuesday for a matchup against in-state rival Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. on the ACC Network.
Records
No. 3 Florida (7-0)
Winthrop (0-9)
All-Tournament Team
* MVP: Alexis Stucky, Florida
* Kennedy Martin, Florida
* Elli McKissock, Florida
* Devan Taylor, Clemson
* Katie Hurta, Clemson
* Kalani Hayes, Sacramento State
* Bridgette Smith, Sacramento State
* Avery Jolley, Winthrop
How It Happened
* The Gators took the early lead in the first frame, pulling ahead six at the 9-3 mark. Winthrop cut the deficit to two at 9-7, but Florida used a 4-1 run to take the 13-8 lead and force a timeout by the Eagles. Out of the timeout, the Gators used a 12-4 run to earn the 25-12 victory, thanks in part to a 6-0 service run by Adams.
* Florida hit .333 in the first set, while holding Winthrop to a -.190 clip. Martin posted a team-high three kills, while four Gators each registered one.
* With the second set tied early, the Gators used a 7-1 run to grab the 9-3 lead. Florida kept the Eagles at a distance, but Winthrop cut the lead to just two at 16-14 to force a timeout by the Gators. After the break, Florida created some distance, taking its largest lead at 24-16. Winthrop staved off three set points, but a Martin kill secured the victory.
* Florida hit a stellar .467 in the second set, led by five kills from Fitzpatrick and four from Martin.
* The third set started as a tight battle between the two squads, but with the frame tied at 5-all, Florida used a 4-0 run behind the serves of Stucky to grab the 9-5 advantage. The Eagles pulled back to within three at the 15-12 mark, but the Gators once again used a run, this time 3-0 to take the 18-12 lead. Florida went on to win the set 25-15 after coming out of a Winthrop timeout on a 7-3 run.
* The Gators hit .296 in the final frame, led by five kills from Fitzpatrick.
Notables
* Martin has notched double-digit kills in all seven matches this season
* The Gators improve to 7-0 for the seventh time in program history and the first time since 2017
* Florida is now 1-0 against Winthrop in the all-time series
* The Gators are now 1-0 against Winthrop in three-set matches
* Florida improves to 4-0 in three-set matches during the 2023 campaign
Thoughts from Coach Wise
* “The schedule of playing three games in three days is a first for many of us, but the players handled it extremely well. Each match gave us an opportunity against different teams to get better and that is all you can ask for in the preseason.”
Up Next
* The Gators are back in action on Tuesday for a matchup against in-state rival Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla.
* First serve is slated for 6 p.m. on the ACC Network
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