Florida volleyball received their first loss of the season Friday night after falling short to USF, 3-2.
Box Score<https://floridagators.com/documents/2024/9/6/181866.PDF>
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 10 Florida volleyball lost to in-state competitor, South Florida in five sets (25-15, 22-25, 25-12, 23-25, 10-15) Friday night. The 3-2 final gave the Gators their first loss of the season to move 3-1 on the year, while USF becomes 1-3.
Taylor Parks recorded her first double-double as a Gator in the fifth setter. The SEC Freshman of the Week dished out 46 assists while tallying 13 digs for two new career highs.
Three Gators finished with double-digits kills, with Isabel Martin leading the way for the third-consecutive match with 19 kills. Freshman Alec Rothe posted a career-high 14 kills, while hitting .345 and AC Fitzpatrick had 11 kills of her own Friday night.
Florida’s 12 team blocks held South Florida to a .196 hitting percentage, with four players recording one solo block: Jaela Auguste, Fitzpatrick, Martin and Parks.
Elli McKissock lead the backcourt with a team-high 23 digs and recorded seven assists, while even tallying one kill in the stat book. Additionally, Trinity Adams, Emily Canaan and Martin tallied eight digs in the match.
Records
No. 10 Florida (3-1, 0-0 SEC)
USF (1-3, 0-0 American Athletic)
How It Happened
Set 1
* Florida opened set one with a 4-0 lead and forced an early USF timeout. Thanks to Adams and Canaan, who both went on 4-0 serving runs, the Gators extended their lead to 17-6. With only five points to go in the opening set, Fitzpatrick, Rothe and Thomas were a force at the net. The trio had three blocks in three blocks in the final moments to secure a 25-15 set-one win. Martin led the way with six kills and finished with a .357 hitting clip.
* Set 1 Team Stats | .229 Hitting % | 12 Kills | 12 Assists | 15 Digs | 5.0 Team Blocks | 1 Ace
Set 2
* Tied at 4-4 at the start of the second set, Florida was the first to five after a Bulls serving error. The two teams battled point-for-point until USF grabbed a 12-10 lead and forced a Gator timeout. South Florida continued to push the pace, gaining a four-point lead to be the first to 15. A block by freshman duo – Parks and Auguste – ended the scoring run, but the Bulls were able to maintain a three-point lead heading into the final points up 22-19. Back-to-back kills from Auguste kept Florida alive, but USF came away with a 25-22 win. Overall there were eight times in set two.
* Set 2 Team Stats | .262 Hitting % | 16 Kills | 12 Assists | 14 Digs | 1.0 Team Block
Set 3
* Similar to the first set, the Gators came out strong with an early 8-3 lead. Following a South Florida timeout, UF continued to be a threat from every front-row position, as Rothe, Thomas and Fitzpatrick recorded kills to extend Florida’s lead to 15-7. There was no stopping the Gators as they continued to dominate in the third set, posting 18 kills on their way to a 25-12 victory. Seven players contributed to Florida’s .750 hitting clip, including defensive specialist Emily Canaan. Martin and Fitzpatrick both had four to lead the third set, while Rothe and Thomas followed with three.
* Set 3 Team Stats | .750 Hitting % | 18 Kills | 17 Assists | 9 Digs
Set 4
* After battling in the opening rallies, the Gators pulled ahead by seven after a solo block from Auguste to which forced a USF timeout. The Bulls regrouped and came out of the break with a 5-0 and a 4-0 serving run. UF’s lead dwindled to 12-9 and South Florida came back to tie it at 14. Points were exchanged heading into the 25-point mark and Florida called a timeout, trailing 20-22. The Gators were unable to close the gap and fell 23-25 for a déjà vu fifth-set against the Bulls – similar to last year’s five-set match.
* Set 4 Team Stats | .075 Hitting % | 12 Kills | 17 Digs | 10 Assists |5 Team Blocks | 1 Ace
Set 5
* It was a back-and-forth battle at the start of the fifth and final set, until South Florida went on a 4-0 run to grab a 6-9 lead. Fitzpatrick and Martin posted back-to-back kills to inch within one, but USF pulled away to take set five 15-10 and claim match victory.
* Set 5 Team Stats | .095 Hitting % | 6 Kills | 8 Digs | 6 Assists | 1 Team Block | 1 Ace
Notables
* Five players set or tied career-highs:
* Jaela Auguste: 1 Assist | 6 Kills (tied) | 5 Blocks (Tied) | 1 Solo Block (Tied)
* Emily Canaan: 1 Kill (Tied)
* Elli McKissock: 1 Kill (Tied)
* Taylor Parks: 46 Assists | 13 Digs | 2 Blocks | 1 Solo Block | 4 Kills (Tied)
* Amaya Thomas: 8 Kills
* Freshman Taylor Parks posted her first-career double-double as a Gator, finishing with 46 assista and 13 digs.
* Three Gators finished with double-digits kills: as Isabel Martin (19), Alec Rothe (14) and AC Fitzpatrick (11)
* The Gators are now 2-2 in five-set matches against South Florida
* Florida now holds a 16-1 record against the Bulls in Gainesville, Fla.
* UF is now 0-1 in five-set matches during the 2024 season
Up Next
* Tournament action continues Saturday afternoon, as the Gators face Southern Indiana for the first time in program history. First serve is set for 4 p.m. ET inside the Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Admission is free for fans who have purchased a ticket to Florida’s football game against Samford.<https://www.ticketmaster.com/florida-gators-football-vs-samford-bulldogs-gainesville-florida-09-07-2024/event/22006098B63D2216>
No. 10 Florida vs. Southern Indiana
Saturday, Sept. 7 | 4 p.m. ET
#10 Florida 3-1 | Southern Indiana 2-2
Exactech Arena – Gainesville, Fla.
Listen<https://floridagators.com/watch/?Live=5480> | | Live Stats<https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=538161>
Series Information
Southern Indiana | 2024 season: 2-2, 0-0 Ohio Valley
* Saturday marks the first time the two programs will face eachother.
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