STARKVILLE, Miss. – The No. 13 Florida volleyball team opened the SEC series against Mississippi State with a sweep on Friday night in the Newell-Grissom Building.
The Gators extend their win streak to four-straight matches, moving to 14-3 on the year and 6-1 in conference play. Mississippi State drops to 11-6 on the year and 4-3 in the SEC schedule.
UF opened the match with a 25-18 victory and then followed with a 25-22 win in the second frame to pull ahead 2-0 in the match. Florida closed out the night with a 25-19 victory in the final frame to earn the sweep.
As a squad, the Gators held the Bulldogs to a .021 clip on the night, while tallying 13.0 blocks. Bre Kelley posted a team-high six blocks to lead the way for Florida, followed by four blocks apiece from Merritt Beason and Gabrielle Essix. Marina Markova added three of her own, while both Sofia Victoria and Alexis Stucky pitched in two on the night.
Victoria led the offensive attack for Florida on Friday night, finishing the match with 11 kills. Kelley and Markova each added a nine-kill effort of their own, while Beason pitched in seven kills in the win.
Alexis Stucky dished out 36 helpers on the night, while leading the team to a .310 hitting efficiency.
Elli McKissock paced the backcourt defense for Florida, registering a team-high nine digs in the three-setter. Beason added seven of her own, while Victoria and Emily Canaan posted five and four, respectively.
Beason recorded two service aces to lead the way for Florida, followed by one apiece from Trinity Adams and Kelley.
The Gators return to action on Saturday to close out the series against Mississippi State. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. ET on SEC Network +.
Records
No. 13 Florida (14-3, 6-1 SEC)
Mississippi State (11-6, 4-3 SEC)
How It Happened
* The Gators used a 4-0 run behind the serves of Kelley to take the early 9-3 advantage to open the match. Florida continued to hold Mississippi State at bay through the middle of the set, pulling ahead eight at the media timeout. Out of the break, the Bulldogs chipped away at Florida’s lead to cut it to four at the 20-16 mark, but the Gators were able to hold on for the 25-18 win to start the night.
* Florida hit .444 in the first set, while holding Mississippi State to a .091 clip. Kelley led the way with six kills in the opening frame, followed by four from Victoria and three from Markova.
* Mississippi State jumped out to the early 5-0 lead in the second set, causing Florida to use its first timeout. Coming out of the timeout, the Gators battled all the way back to eventually tie the frame at 7-all. The teams began trading points throughout the middle portion of the set, but after a two-point swing in its direction, Florida forced Mississippi State to take a timeout with the Gators leading 21-20. The Bulldogs did not bow out easily, but Florida secured the 2-0 match lead with a 25-22 victory in the second frame.
* UF hit .321 in the second, led by six kills from Victoria and three from each Beason and Markova.
* The start of the third set looked familiar to the second, with Florida falling behind 5-2 early. The Gators fought their way out of the hole with a 5-0 run, including three-straight blocks, to take the 8-6 lead and force a timeout by the Bulldogs. Following the timeout, Florida pulled ahead as many as four at the 14-10 mark, but Mississippi State cut UF’s lead to one with a 3-0 run of its own. The Gators answered right back behind the serves of Beason, taking the 18-13 advantage late in the third set. Mississippi State then cut Florida’s lead to four late in the frame, forcing a UF timeout at the 23-19 mark. The Gators closed out the match with a 2-0 run to secure the sweep.
* Florida held Mississippi State to a -.118 clip in the third and totaled six blocks. Essix led with three blocks in the final frame, while Stucky, Kelley and Markova each registered two.
Notables
* The Gators improve to 54-1 in the all-time series against the Bulldogs, including a 45-1 record under Mary Wise
* Florida is now 49-0 in three-set matches against Mississippi State
* The Gators improve to 27-0 in Starkville, Miss.
* UF improves to 7-0 in three-set matches during the 2022 campaign
Thoughts from Coach Wise
* “Proud of our team’s defense because Mississippi State has a high-octane offense that can get kills in bunches. Tonight we were fortunate.”
Up Next
* The Gators return to action on Saturday to close out the series against Mississippi State
* First serve is slated for 6 p.m. ET on SEC Network +
No. 13 Florida at Mississippi State Broadcast Information
Date & Time: Oct. 15 | 6 p.m. ET
Live Stream: SEC Network +<https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=77354dc4-31cb-45b4-85fe-3554886ee6f5>
Live Stats: Statbroadcast<http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=418261>
Series Information – No. 13 Florida at Mississippi State
Bulldogs | 2022 season synopsis: 11-6, 4-3 SEC
* This is the 56th meeting between the Gators and the Bulldogs
* Florida leads 54-1 (45-1 under Mary Wise)
* 3-set: 49-0 | 4-set: 4-0 | 5-set: 1-1
* Home: 25-1 | Away: 27-0 | Neutral: 2-0
* Last Time Out: Oct. 14, 2022 | Starkville, Miss. | W, 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-19)
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