It took 25 years for the Auburn volleyball team to finally beat the Gators under coach Mary Wise.
After nine consecutive wins, Florida dropped a five-set heartbreaker to Auburn on Sunday, the first time the Gators have lost to the Tigers since Wise took over as head coach in 1991.
The defeat marks the fourth conference loss for Florida this season, just the second time in Wise’s tenure where the Gators lost that many Southeastern Conference matches.
Throughout the match, the Gators were hindered by their sloppy service play that kept the team from consistently getting into a rhythm.
Florida committed 15 service errors — a three-error-per-set average that was slightly above the 2.4 errors per set they averaged this season heading into the match.
In the SEC, a league with increased volleyball parity, committing so many unforced errors creates a deep hole to climb out of, even for a top team like the Gators.
"It’s one of those things, you try in practice to create those moments, but it’s nothing like the match," Wise said.
"On the road, the margin of error is so thin ... a couple of serves would have been the difference."
Florida’s offense was not the well-oiled machine that had been attacking opposing teams as of late.
On the season, the Gators (18-5, 10-4 SEC) are hitting a .317 clip as team.
However, Florida was far from its normal self on Sunday against the Tigers.
The Gators posted just a .206 hitting clip, one of the lowest marks the team has hit all season.
The Gators averaged 5.2 attack errors per set on Sunday, well above their average of 3.9 errors per set heading into the match.
Sophomore middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan had an off-night, too, tallying nine kills on an inefficient .067 hitting.
"Credit to Auburn. I thought their team (showed) such resiliency, played terrific defense," Wise said.
"We weren’t able to generate enough kills, and we certainly didn’t do as good a job as we’ve done in the past in terms of our blocking."
With the loss, Florida fell to 0-4 in five-set matches and has not won this season when trailing its opponent in total kills.
The Gators recorded 63 kills compared to Auburn’s 65.
The defeat overshadowed a standout performance by Nikki O’Rourke.
While the offense sputtered, the senior defensive specialist compiled a career-best 33 digs — good enough for third-most in school history — to keep the Gators competitive.
The match against the Tigers marked the first time this season that the starting lineup of O’Rourke, Alhassan, Simone Antwi, Ziva Recek, Carli Snyder, Mackenzie Dagostino and Alex Holston has lost.
Prior to Sunday, Florida had been a dominant 13-0 when starting this lineup.
After winning nine games in a row, the Gators will now have to refocus, something coach Wise believes is easier to accomplish after a tough loss.
"You learn much more from a loss than a win," Wise said.
"We look at it as a great opportunity to learn."
With five games left they will need to regain the consistency they had during their recent winning streak when they play Alabama and Tennessee at home this weekend.
"Both teams (are) playing their best volleyball right now," Wise said.
"Another great opportunity for our team to get better."
Follow Brian Lee on Twitter @brianlee_17
Rhamat Alhassan swings for a kill attempt during Florida's 3-0 win against Texas A&M on Oct. 9, 2015, in the O'Connell Center
