Florida and Kentucky remain tied atop the SEC standings heading into the last weekend
Box Score<https://floridagators.com/documents/2022/11/20/FLAUK1120_Box.pdf>
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The 10th-ranked Florida volleyball team put up a valiant effort against the No. 18 Kentucky Wildcats, but fell in three sets on Sunday afternoon in Exactech Arena.
The Gators move to 21-5 on the year and 13-3 in the SEC, while the Wildcats improve to 18-7 overall and 13-3 in league play. Both teams are tied atop the standings with two matches left to play.
Prior to the match, the Florida honored Marina Markova and Rhett Robinson during a Senior Day ceremony.
Kentucky took the tightly-contested first set 25-23 and followed that with a 26-24 victory in the second. The Wildcats clinched the match with a 25-17 win in the final frame.
Florida’s offensive attack was led by a 12-kill performance from Merritt Beason. Marina Markova pitched in nine kills on the afternoon, followed by a seven-kill effort from Gabrielle Essix. Sofia Victoria rounded out the Florida scorers with six kills.
Alexis Stucky dished out 35 assists in the match, along with seven digs, four blocks, two kills and one ace.
At the net, the Gators recorded seven blocks, led by Stucky’s four. Bre Kelley and Essix each pitched in three blocks, followed by two from Beason.
Elli McKissock paced the defense for the Gators, recording 11 digs in the backcourt. Trinity Adams followed with nine, while Beason (8) and Stucky (7) combined for 15.
Florida finished the match with four aces, with Stucky, Adams, Beason and McKissock each tallying one.
The Gators close out the regular season with a series against the Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford, Miss. The two-match series is slated to begin on Nov. 25.
Records
No. 10 Florida (21-5, 13-3 SEC)
No. 18 Kentucky (17-8, 13-3 SEC)
How It Happened
* The first set was a back-and-forth battle from the jump, with Kentucky’s biggest lead being three and Florida’s biggest lead being one. The Wildcats took the one-point advantage into the media timeout, but out of the break, the Gators took the lead at the 17-16 mark. Kentucky answered with a 3-0 run to swing the advantage back in their direction, forcing the first Florida timeout of the frame. Following the break, the Gators pulled back to within one at the 24-23, but Kentucky held on to take the 1-0 lead in the match.
* The Gators hit .242 in the first set, led by five kills from Beason.
* After finding themselves down five points early in the set, the Gators climbed their way out of the deficit to knot the second set at 16-all. The teams traded points through the back half of the set, but with Florida leading 24-23, Kentucky went on a 3-0 run to grab the 26-24 victory.
* Essix posted a team-high four kills in the set, followed by three apiece from Markova, Beason and Victoria.
* The third set belonged to the Wildcats from the start, with Kentucky jumping out to the four-point lead at 10-6. The Gators pulled back to within one at 15-14, but Kentucky closed out the match on a 10-3 run to even the SEC records at 13-3.
* Beason posted a team-high four kills in the frame, followed by three from Markova.
Notables
* Merritt Beason finished the afternoon with 12 kills, her 18th match this season in double-figure kills
* Elli McKissock posted her 22nd match this season with double-digit digs
* The Gators are now 53-20 in the all-time series against the Wildcats
* Florida drops to 37-11 against Kentucky in three-set matches
Up Next
* The Gators close out the regular season with a series against the Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford, Miss.
* The two-match series is slated to begin on Nov. 25.
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