After Florida claimed the first two sets of a Friday night showdown with Mississippi State, the Bulldogs fought back in the third set to make this any team’s match.
With three ties in the first set, ten ties in the second set and 16 ties in the third set, either team could break away with a win. An ace from Stucky midway through the fourth set launched the Gators to a 10-7 lead, accelerating the momentum for the rest of the match.
Florida (10-4) pulled away with a win in its match against Mississippi State (7-5) on Friday night in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
Sophomore outside hitter Kennedy Martin had six kills in the first set alone, all of which came on assists from redshirt sophomore setter Alexis Stucky.
Martin totaled 14 kills throughout the match, while Stucky set her season high of 47 assists, two more than she tallied in the Oklahoma match.
Outside hitter Isabel Martin had five kills in the first set, all also from Stucky. Isabel Martin tallied 12 kills in the match.
Despite the Gators taking an early lead in the first set, Mississippi State caught up after multiple Florida attack errors and kills.
The Gators were able to close out the set 25-21 after kills from Kennedy Martin and fifth-year outside hitter AC Fitzpatrick.
The Gators started the second set with an ace from Stucky, but the two teams would go on to flip the lead back-and-forth six times throughout the set.
Stucky served five aces throughout the night, as well as 14 digs. Fifth-year libero Elli McKissock also counted 18 digs in the match.
Florida and Mississippi State each went on three point scoring runs, bringing the score 10-10.
Aces from Kennedy Martin, Fitzpatrick, and Stucky, as well as kills from middle blocker Amaya Thomas and freshman middle blocker Jaela Auguste, brought the Gators to a 25-19 set victory.
Florida looked to seal the match in the third set, but Mississippi State matched the competition.The Bulldogs went on a four point scoring run early on to take an 8-6 lead.
The match competition remained even, with sixteen ties and seven lead changes occurring throughout the set.
Mississippi State called a timeout after Florida took a late 24-23 lead.
When play resumed, the Bulldogs went on a three point scoring run, with a Gator attack error and two consecutive kills giving them the 26-24 set win.
The Gators started out strong in the fourth set, looking to take the match.
Kennedy Martin started the set with an ace early on. Stucky added in two more strong serves later in the set.
The Gators went on a six point scoring run, pulling away from the Bulldogs 13-7.
Florida followed it up with a kill from freshman middle blocker Alec Rothe and two more consecutive kills from Fitzpatrick.
An ace from junior libero and defensive specialist Emily Canaan, as well as kills from Auguste and Kennedy Martin as well as three consecutive attack errors from the Bulldogs, pushed Florida to a 23-13 lead.
Another kill from Auguste, who finished the night with nine total, put the Gators at match point.
An attack error from the Bulldogs sealed a win for the Gators, putting the score at 25-14.
Florida will return to the Stephen C O’Connell Center on Sunday to face South Carolina in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center at 1 p.m.
Contact Shaine Davison at sdavison@alligator.org. Follow her on X @shainedavison.
