Florida defeated No. 4 Wisconsin in five sets in front of a crowd of 16,833, an NCAA record crowd for a regular season match
Box Score<https://floridagators.com/documents/2022/9/16/142106.PDF>
MADISON, Wisc. – The 16th-ranked Florida volleyball team defeated No. 4 Wisconsin in a five-set thriller on Friday night, while setting a regular season NCAA attendance record of 16,833 fans.
With the victory, Florida moves to 8-2 on the year heading into SEC play, while Wisconsin falls to 5-2.
In front of a record-setting crowd, the Gators put on a show in the first set, taking it 25-21 – that was the first opening set that Wisconsin had dropped since Sept. 2. Florida then followed that performance with a 25-18 victory in the second set to pull ahead 2-0 in the match. It took extra points in the third, but Wisconsin claimed the set 28-26 before following with a 25-13 victory in the fourth. Florida then battled back from a deficit in the fifth to claim it 15-13.
The Gators’ defense at the net proved to be the difference maker, with Florida holding the Badgers to a .115 hitting efficiency. As a team, UF tallied 16.0 blocks in the five-setter, led by seven from Bre Kelley. Alexis Stucky and Marina Markova each added five in the victory, while Gabrielle Essix added four.
Florida’s offensive attack was led by a career-high 21-kill performance from Merritt Beason. Essix pitched in 10 kills, while Markova added eight in the victory.
Alexis Stucky controlled the tempo of the match for Florida, dishing out 45 assists – tying her career-best mark.
Elli McKissock led the backcourt defensive effort for Florida, finishing the match with 18 digs. Trinity Adams added 10 digs of her own in the win, while Beason and Victoria tallied eight and six, respectively.
Beason posted a team-best three service aces in the victory, followed by one apiece from McKissock and Emily Canaan.
The Gators begin conference play on Wednesday against the Alabama Crimson Tide in Exactech Arena. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. on SEC Network +.
Records
No. 16 Florida (8-2)
No. 4 Wisconsin (5-2)
How It Happened
* Wisconsin took the early 8-5 lead to start the match, but the Gators dug themselves out of the hole to knot the frame at 10-apiece. Florida took their first lead since the 3-2 mark after back-to-back points from Markova, putting the Gators ahead 13-11. UF continued to hold its lead into the media timeout, taking the two-point advantage into the break. Out of the timeout, Wisconsin pulled within one at 15-14, but the Gators opened up a 4-1 to take the 19-15 lead and force a Badgers’ timeout. Wisconsin cut Florida’s lead to just two at 23-21, but the Gators were able to hold on for the 25-21 victory.
* Florida hit .257 in the first, while holding the Badgers to a .086 clip. Essix posted a team-high four kills in the first frame, followed by three from Markova.
* The Gators were the ones that got out to the quick start in the second set, taking the 5-2 lead to force a Wisconsin timeout. Out of the break, the Gators took as large as a seven-point lead at the 12-5 mark behind a service run from Beason. The Badgers put together a quick 2-0 run to pull back within five, but Florida quickly made seven-point lead again at 14-7, forcing the second Wisconsin timeout. The Gators continued to hold the Badgers at a distance, but after Wisconsin cut the lead to just four at 18-14, Florida called its first timeout of the set. Out of the break, Beason served the Gators to a 23-16 lead and UF held on for the 25-18 win to pull ahead 2-0 in the match.
* Florida hit .194 in the second set, but held the Badgers to a .030 clip. Beason led the way with five kills in the frame, followed by three apiece from Stucky and Kelley.
* With Wisconsin holding 5-2 lead in the third set, the Gators went on an 8-0 run behind the serves of Canaan to take the 10-5 lead. Florida continued to hold Wisconsin at a distance, but after a 3-0 Badger run to pull within three at 19-16, the Gators were forced to use their first timeout of the set. Florida got one out of the timeout, but another 2-0 run by Wisconsin caused the Gators to use their final timeout of the frame holding onto the 20-18 lead. The Badgers used a 6-2 run to take the 24-22 lead late, but Florida battled back to tie it at 24-all. With the teams trading points, Wisconsin used a final 3-0 run to win 28-26 and force a fourth set.
* Beason posted a team-best six kills in the third set, followed by four kills on five swings from Markova.
* Wisconsin got out to the early 10-2 lead in the fourth set, but the Gators went on a 3-0 run to pull within five points. The Badgers pulled ahead as many as 10 at the 17-7 mark and forced a deciding fifth set with a 25-13 win in the fourth.
* Beason posted a team-high five kills in the fourth set to lead the way and put her at a career-high 18 for the match thus far.
* The Badgers took the 8-5 lead into the media timeout in the fifth frame, but out of the break, the Gators rallied to take the 9-8 advantage behind a Stucky service run. The teams continued to trade points, but a Victoria solo block put Florida ahead two points at 13-11 to force a Wisconsin timeout. Out of the timeout, the Badgers got one back, but the Gators held on to win 15-13.
* Florida hit .286 in the final frame, led by three kills from Beason and two from Essix.
Notables
* Merritt Beason posted a career-high 21 kills in the five-setter
* Alexis Stucky tied her career-high with 45 assists
* The Gators improve to 6-1 in the all-time series against the Badgers
* Florida is now 3-1 in five-set matches against Wisconsin
* UF moves to 3-0 against the Badgers in Madison, Wisc.
* The Gators are now 1-1 in five-set matches during the 2022 campaign
Thoughts from Coach Wise
* “The crowd was incredible, what a privilege to be in this moment. Both teams played awfully hard tonight and it was great.”
Up Next
* The Gators are back in action on Wednesday to kick off conference play against the Alabama Crimson Tide
* First serve is slated for 7 p.m. in Exactech Arena and the match will stream on SEC Network +
* Florida holds the 50-0 series advantage over Alabama
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