The energy was palpable in the Stephen O’Connell Center with Florida on a match point.
Reigning SEC Freshman of the Week Taylor Parks set a ball high up in the air, and from there, sophomore outside hitter Kennedy Martin was airborne.
Martin, fresh off of SEC and AVCA Player of the Week honors last week, slammed home the match-clinching kill, her 22nd of the day.
The win was the fifth-straight for No. 24 Florida (16-5, 7-3 SEC) as it set a new season-high five match winning streak with its four-set win over Ole Miss (14-8, 4-6 SEC).
The win also brought the series record between the two schools to 60-3 all-time in favor of the Gators, as well as 54-0 under longtime UF head coach Mary Wise.
For the first time since Sep. 20, redshirt junior setter Alexis Stucky was not part of the Gators’ starting lineup. She would ultimately not appear in the contest.
In her place was Parks, who would finish the match with a double-double, racking up 48 assists and 10 digs.
Fifth-year libero Elli McKissock led the Gators with 20 digs in the bout, while freshman middle blocker Alec Rothe added nine kills and a team-high five blocks.
In the first set, both sides traded leads and were near even for the majority of the set. However, the Gators eventually strung together a late 6-1 run, which catapulted them to win the set 25-22.
Parks recorded two service aces in the set, while Martin added five kills of her own.
The Rebels quickly responded to start the second set, leading by as much as five early on. Despite attempts from the Gators to mount a comeback, Ole Miss never surrendered the lead, taking the set 25-19.
Redshirt senior outside hitter Isabel Martin led the Gators with five kills in the set, while Ole Miss junior outside hitter Nia Washington scored six kills of her own, including the set-winning kill.
The second set also featured domination at the net by the Rebels, who recorded five blocks to the Gators’ zero in the set.
The third set was initially competitive, but Florida found its rhythm to grab a lead midway through the set. From there, the Gators maintained their lead and would take the set 25-22.
Kennedy Martin led the way once again for the Gators, scoring six kills in the set.
The fourth set was back-and-forth to begin, with the lead changing four times. However, the Gators put together another 6-1 scoring run to storm out to a lead.
From there, the Gators put the finishing touches on the bout, ultimately taking the fourth and final set 25-18.
Florida will remain at home this coming week, facing Auburn on Nov. 8 at 7 p.m.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X @maxbernstein23.
