GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The 13th-ranked Florida volleyball team put up a valiant effort against the No. 12 Stanford Cardinal, but eventually fell in the fifth.
It took extra points in the first set, but the Cardinal came out victorious 31-29 to grab the 1-0 advantage. Stanford followed with a tightly-contested 25-22 win in the second, but Florida dominated the third set, taking it 25-16. The Gators forced a deciding fifth set after winning the fourth frame 25-22, but Stanford was able to close out the match with a 15-10 victory in the final set.
Merritt Beason led the way with 13 kills, followed by 12 from Marina Markova. Gabrielle Essix added 10 kills of her own with just two errors for a .381 clip, while Bre Kelley posted eight kills on the night.
Alexis Stucky dished out a career-high 45 assists in the five-set match.
As a team, Florida recorded 13.0 blocks at the net, with Kelley posting a career-best 10. That mark is tied for the fourth-highest total in program history in a five-set match.
Beason added five blocks, while Markova tallied four at the net. Both Essix and Sofia Victoria added the defensive effort with three blocks apiece.
Elli McKissock paced the backcourt defense with 15 digs, while Trinity Adams pitched in a career-high 11 in the match. Beason was just one dig away from a double-double with nine, while Stucky and Emily Canaan added six and five digs, respectively.
Canaan led the way behind the service line, recording four aces, all of which came consecutively in the fifth set.
The Gators are back in action on Sunday when the team travels to fourth-ranked Minnesota. First serve is slated for 1:30 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network +.
Records
No. 13 Florida (3-1)
No. 12 Stanford (3-0)
How it Happened
* Florida jumped out to the early lead in the first set, taking the three-point advantage at the 6-3 mark, but Stanford answered with a 7-0 run to force the Gators to use their first timeout of the match. Out of the timeout, the Gators chipped away to knot the set at 14-all. Behind the 6-0 service run of Beason, Florida was able to regain the lead at 17-14. This time, it was Stanford climb its way out of the hole, tying the frame 22-22 to force a UF timeout. The teams continued to trade points out the timeout, needing extra points to put it away. Florida held the 29-28 lead, but the Cardinal closed out the set on a 3-0 run to take the first set.
* The Gators racked up 21 kills in the frame on a .349 clip, with Beason posting a team-high six. Essix added five, while Kelley tallied four of her own.
* The second set was a battle from the start, with the two squads trading points up until a 3-0 Stanford run to give the Cardinal the 15-12 advantage at the media timeout. Florida pulled back to within two at 16-14, but Stanford extended its lead to four to force a Gators’ timeout. UF once again chipped away at the lead, cutting the deficit to one at 21-20, but the Cardinal closed out the frame with a 4-2 run to go up 2-0 in the match.
* Kelley posted a team-high four kills in the set, followed by three from Markova.
* The third frame belonged to Florida from the start, with UF jumping ahead five points at the 10-5 mark. The Cardinal cut the lead to three at 14-11, forcing a Gators’ timeout. Out of that stoppage, Florida kept its distance and McKissock sealed the set after stringing together a 5-0 service run to put the Gators ahead 24-15. Florida closed it out on a kill from Victoria.
* UF’s defense racked up five blocks in the third, limiting the Cardinal to a -.061 clip.
* No point came easy for either side during the fourth set, with the teams knotted at 12-12 early on. The Cardinal created a three-point hole for Florida, but UF dug its way out, tying the fourth at 19-19 to force a Stanford timeout. Out of the break, Florida went on a 3-1 run to take the 22-20 advantage and once again made the Cardinal call a timeout. Beason recorded her first service ace of the night at the correct time, putting Florida up 23-20. Stanford pulled back to within one at 23-22, but the Gators closed out on a 2-0 run to force a deciding fifth set.
* UF held Stanford to a .108 clip in the fourth set and Markova led the way offensively with four kills. Essix added three, while Beason and Victoria each pitched in two in the frame.
* Canaan got the Gators off to a hot start in the fifth set, recording four-straight service aces to give Florida the 5-1 lead. Stanford pulled back to within one at the 6-5 mark, forcing a UF timeout. Out of that break, the Cardinal went on a 5-2 run to take the 10-8 advantage. Stanford then secured the match with another 5-2 burst, winning 15-10.
Notables
* Bre Kelley posted a career-high 10.0 blocks in the five-setter
* Emily Canaan recorded a career-high four service aces
* Alexis Stuckey dished out a career-best 45 assists in the match
* Florida moves to 5-9 in the all-time series against the Cardinal
Thoughts from Coach Wise
* “So appreciative of the crowd that came out tonight. The energy that they brought, the players fed off of that. For an early season match that might not have been the cleanest, you cannot fault the effort on either side. Proud of our young team and how they battled.”
Up Next
* The Gators are back in action on Sunday when the team travels to fourth-ranked Minnesota
* First serve is slated for 1:30 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network +.
* Minnesota holds the 5-2 series advantage
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