It’s been a historic season for Florida sophomore outside hitter Kennedy Martin, but she isn’t done making her mark.
Just a day after being named a semifinalist for AVCA Division I Player of the Year, the reigning four-time SEC Offensive Player of the Week set her new career high in kills with 32.
Martin’s performance also broke the program’s all-time record for kills in a match, a record Martin had previously tied twice.
Her final kill could not have been at a better moment for the Gators as it was the winning kill in a five-set thriller.
Martin’s career night propelled the No. 22 Gators (19-5, 10-3 SEC) to their win over No. 25 Missouri (18-6, 9-3 SEC), marking UF’s eighth-straight victory.
The victory also put UF in sole possession of second place in the SEC standings, only trailing Kentucky, who has a 10-2 record in the SEC this season.
Alongside Martin, Florida fifth-year libero Elli McKissock also made history, becoming the second Gator to ever amass the 2,000-dig milestone, and the fifth player in the history of the SEC to achieve the feat.
UF head coach Mary Wise said after Florida’s win on Nov. 10 that it has been a “special experience” for her to witness McKissock’s career. She recorded a season-high 24 digs against Missouri.
Meanwhile, Florida redshirt sophomore setter Alexis Stucky, who did not start the match for the Gators, would enter the bout late in the first set and led the Gators’ offense with 35 assists and eight digs.
Moreover, redshirt senior outside hitter Isabel Martin and freshman middle blocker Jaela Auguste recorded 12 and nine kills, respectively.
In the first set, the Gators struggled to find their rhythm, committing 10 total errors. Meanwhile, the Tigers rolled, only committing one error while posting a .536 shooting percentage.
Missouri also went on a 5-0 run in the first set, and Florida could not recover due to its errors, losing the set 25-15.
The Gators won five of the first six points in the second set, as Stucky’s presence allowed Florida to clean up its offensive errors.
From there, Kennedy Martin took over, scoring nine kills and a service ace in set two alone. Her stellar play led the Gators to a 25-21 set victory.
The third set featured back-and-forth action between Florida and Missouri, including 11 ties and six lead changes.
Both teams put together numerous scoring runs, but it was the Gators who pieced together a late 6-1 run to reach set point.
However, the Tigers fought back, forcing the Gators to six set points before UF ultimately captured a victory in the third set 27-25 following a Missouri attack error.
UF junior libero Emily Canaan served up two service aces in the 6-1 scoring run, and she finished the match with a team best three service aces.
Missouri started the fourth set strong, but Kennedy Martin took over for the Gators.
She tallied 11 kills in the fourth set, but it was not enough, as the Tigers would take the fourth set 25-22, sending the bout to a fifth-set tiebreaker.
From there, it was all UF, as the Gators stormed out to a 9-1 lead in the fifth set and never let their foot off the gas.
Kennedy Martin scored seven kills in the fifth set, including the winning kill to capture the set 15-6 and clinch the match.
Florida will remain on the road for its next match against Auburn on Nov. 20 at 7 p.m.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X @maxbernstein23.
