In a Saturday night match between the Florida Gators and Northern Colorado Bears, the entire evening was a constant back-and-forth affair. Florida (2-0) and Northern Colorado (1-1) both brought the competition in their match in Greely, CO.
Florida’s freshmen carried the load in their second game of the season. Freshman setter Taylor Parks totaled 36 assists throughout the game, while freshman outside hitter Alec Rothe secured 11 kills.
Without star players redshirt sophomore setter Alexis Stucky and sophomore outside hitter Kennedy Martin, the rest of the squad rose to the occasion.
Redshirt senior Isabel Martin opened the game with a powerful kill, establishing Florida’s momentum for the game. She put down 13 kills by the end of the evening.
Northern Colorado responded with a total of 16 kills in the first set, breaking away 25-19.
Rothe and Parks each worked in a kill to open the second set and establish the team’s momentum.
Fifth-year libero Elli McKissock added two aces to the mix, putting Florida ahead 7-3. She also accounted for nine digs throughout the game.
Isabel Martin and junior middle blocker Amaya Thomas each threw down kills of their own, boosting the Gators up in score. Thomas closed out the second set with a fierce kill to win 25-18, evening the game 1-1.
The Bears and Gators both brought their all in the third set.
With kills from Parks, Thomas and freshman middle blocker Jaela Auguste, Rothe pushed Florida ahead in the third set. Parks served an ace to tie the set up at 14-14. Eventually, a block from Rothe and an ace from Isabel Martin launched Florida into a 2-1 match lead.
In the fourth set, the game was neck-and-neck. The Bears had closed the gap with the Gators after three consecutive aces. This prompted a timeout from head coach Mary Wise, allowing Florida to halt Northern Colorado’s momentum.
Isabel Martin returned to the court after the timeout with a kill to power Florida to a strong finish. Parks followed with an ace to help propel Florida to the victory.
Florida will travel to Fort Collins, Colorado, to face Michigan State (1-1) on Sept. 1.
Contact Shaine Davison at sdavison@alligator.org. Follow her on X @shainedavison.
