No. 21 Florida Top LSU in Three
The Gators hit .305 in the match
Box Score<https://floridagators.com/documents/2023/11/10/168237.PDF>
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The nationally ranked Florida volleyball team defeated the LSU Tigers in three sets (25-17, 25-23, 25-16) on Friday night inside Exactech Arena. The Gators improve to 15-7, 7-6 SEC in the 2023 campaign, while LSU falls to 10-13, 5-8 SEC.
Florida opened with a decisive 25-17 victory and followed with a 25-23 win in the second-set win. The Gators clinched the match with a 25-16 victory in the third frame.
Florida was versatile on offense, with five players posting five or more kills on the night. Kennedy Martin led the way with 15 kills, followed by Sofia Victoria’s seven. Nnedi Okammor finished with six kills of her own and AC Fitzpatrick and Gabbi Essix both added five.
Setter Kennedy Muff dished out 33 assists in the three-setter, while leading the team to a .305 clip, while Elli McKissock tallied three of her own.
As a squad, the Gators tallied 11.5 blocks on the night. Nnedi Okammor posted a team-high six blocks, while Essix and Martin contributed with five. Fitzpatrick added four blocks of her own in the match, while Victoria pitched in three.
Elli McKissock led the backcourt defense, posting 11 digs. Muff added 10 and Emily Canaan and Trinity Adams both finished with six of their own.
Behind the service line, the Gators registered nine aces, posting a new three-set season high. Sofia Victoria led with four, a new career-high, while Canaan and Adams each tallied two in the match.
The Gators start their three-game road series on Sunday, when they head to Tuscaloosa, Ala. to face Alabama. First serve is slated for 5 p.m. ET on SEC+.
Records
No. 21 Florida: (15-7, 7-6 SEC)
LSU: (10-13, 5-8 SEC)
How It Happened
* With Florida up 11-10 in the first set, A Gabbi Essix kill followed by a block from her and AC Fitzpatrick gave the Gators a three-point advantage. A block from Sofia Victoria extended the lead to four and forced an LSU timeout. Out of the break, a 3-0 scoring run behind Muff’s serve put Florida up 21-14 and made LSU use their final timeout of the set. The Tigers would put together a 3-0 scoring run of their own, cutting it to 21-17, to force a Florida timeout. An LSU serving error made it 22-17, then Victoria recorded her first ace of the night, making it set-point. Martin then tipped it over the net to take the first set, 25-17.
* Florida posted 6.5 blocks in the first frame.
* With LSU leading 5-3 in the second frame, back-to-back kills from Fitzpatrick and Victoria tied it at five. A 6-0 scoring run behind Emily Canaan’s serves gave Florida a 7-11 advantage. LSU put two points together to close the gap, but an ace from Victoria made it 15-10. The Tigers battled back and stayed within two heading into the final points of the set, but a net violation gave the Gators a four-point edge to take a 21-17 lead. Two blocking errors cut it to 21-19, and Florida would take their first timeout of the set. Out of the break, points were exchanged as the Gators called their final timeout still leading 23-21. LSU tied it up at 23, but Kennedy Martin put one down to side out, and Victoria called set again with another ace to give Florida its second win of the night.
* Six different Gators registered a kill in the second set, with Martin (6) and Victoria (4) combined for 10
* The Tigers took an early 2-0 lead, but Victoria’s third ace of the match began a 4-0 scoring run to put the Gators up by two. Trinity Adams served an ace and the Gators went up by four and forced an LSU timeout. Out of the break, Florida maintained a steady four-point advantage, until another 4-0 scoring run behind Muff’s serves made it 15-8. The Tigers tried to close the gap, but the Gators posted two points for every LSU one to come away with a 25-16 third-set win.
* Florida held LSU to a .032 clip
Notables
* Sofia Victoria tallied four aces, a new career-high
* Her aces set a new individual three-set season high
* Tied her career-high assists with two
* Kennedy Martin’s 15 kills continues her streak of registering 10 or more kills in every set this season
* Elli McKissock’s 11 digs put her only 12 away from surpassing Taylor Unroe’s 1,558, which is second overall in Florida history
* Kennedy Muff registered her sixth double-double with 33 assists and 10 digs
* Emily Canaan recorded two aces, tying her season-high
* Canaan also tied her season-high points, finishing with 2.0
* Nine team aces is a new three-set season-high
* UF is now 52-14 in all-time series against the Tigers, including a 49-6 record under Wise
* Florida improves to 30-7 against LSU in three-set matches
* The Gators are now 26-5 in Gainesville against LSU
* Florida is now currently 7-2 in three-set matches during the 2023 season
Thoughts from Coach Wise
* “Tonight’s win was a display of all the hard work that every player has put in during the season.”
Up Next
* The Gators are on the road, traveling to Tuscaloosa, Ala. to face the Crimson Tide on Sunday inside Foster Auditorium
* First serve is slated for 5 p.m. ET on SEC+
No. 21 Florida vs. Alabama Broadcast Information
Date & Time: Nov. 12 | 5 p.m.
Live Stream: SEC+<https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=8bbaa91e-d1f5-4081-b5b3-ab8b4aa4667d> | Live Stats: Statbroadcast<https://sdrm.rolltide.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary?_gl=1*118s3fh*_ga*ODMyMzEyOTMwLjE2OTkyMzA1MDg.*_ga_GDCPN1QTXM*MTY5OTQ2MTUyOC4yLjEuMTY5OTQ2MTU4My41LjAuMA..>
Series Information – No. 21 Florida vs. Alabama
Crimson Tide | 2023 season: 10-15, 0-14 SEC
* This is the 53rd meeting between the Gators and the Crimson Tide
* Florida leads 52-0 (50-0 under Mary Wise)
* 3-set: 48-0 | 4-set: 4-0 | 5-set: 0-0
* Home: 27-0 | Away: 22-0 | Neutral: 3-0
* Last Time Out: Oct. 8, 2023 | Gainesville, Fla. | W, 3-0 (25-22, 29-27, 25-19)
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