Every time sophomore outside hitter Kennedy Martin left the ground on Friday evening, it more often than not turned into a positive result for Florida.
With 20 kills through just three sets, Martin continued her streak of double-digit kills to 44 straight matches. She also reached at least 20 kills for the fourth consecutive match.
Martin also recently set a program record, as she earned a share of SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors for three consecutive weeks.
Behind Martin’s dominance, No. 22 Florida (17-5, 8-3 SEC) cruised to its sixth consecutive victory in a sweep over Auburn (14-9, 4-7 SEC).
The Gators’ offense shined in the bout, posting a .427 hitting percentage while only committing six attack errors. Florida also scored six service aces in the bout.
Freshman setter Taylor Parks, the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week made her second consecutive start for the Gators in place of redshirt sophomore setter Alexis Stucky.
Parks would record 34 assists, two service aces and two kills in the bout. Meanwhile, fellow freshmen middle blockers Alec Rothe and Jaela Auguste recorded six and seven kills, respectively, with the latter also recording five blocks.
Florida and Auburn traded points to start off the first set before UF found its rhythm.
The Gators had a .560 hitting percentage in the first set and converted 16 kills. Six of their kills came from Kennedy Martin, while fifth-year outside hitter AC Fitzpatrick added four of her own.
Meanwhile, Parks would score two service aces, both of which came on a Florida 5-0 scoring run, to capture the set 25-14.
UF’s momentum would carry over into the second set, as it continued its strong offensive showing.
Martin served as the forefront of Florida’s success throughout the night. At one point in the second set, she scored five straight kills for the Gators. She finished the second set with eight kills.
Auguste would score three kills of her own in the set, including the winning point. Florida won the set 25-18.
The third set started off similar to the previous two sets, as Martin led an offensive onslaught.
Florida then recorded an 8-1 scoring run midway through the set, and from there, finished off the match, winning the set 25-19.
Florida will remain at home, facing Alabama at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Sunday at 1 p.m.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X @maxbernstein23.
