In a match that had 31 ties and 10 lead changes, it was sophomore outside hitter Kennedy Martin that made her presence felt when it seemingly mattered the most.
Late in the second set, UF trailed by four points before Martin tallied two consecutive kills. She followed up with two service aces, helping pioneer the Gators to a 6-0 scoring run.
With the second set on the line, Martin slammed down her 10th kill of the match, allowing Florida to take a 2-0 set lead.
In the final frame, Martin recorded seven kills before dishing up a game-sealing service ace.
Martin finished the match with 17 kills, aces, four digs and six blocks, helping guide the No. 23 Gators (12-5, 3-3 SEC) to a three-set sweep against Texas A&M (12-4, 3-3 SEC) in College Station, Texas Friday.
The Gators dominated at the net, recording 13 blocks to the Aggies’ four. Freshman middle blocker Alec Rothe led the block department with seven for the Gators.
Alongside Kennedy Martin, freshman middle blocker Jaela Auguste played a crucial role in the victory, recording eight kills for UF.
Redshirt sophomore setter Alexis Stucky and freshman setter Taylor Parks shared floor time to facilitate Florida’s offense, recording 14 assists apiece.
In the opening set, the Aggies made a number of offensive mistakes, committing nine attack errors. The Gators capitalized, grabbing an early lead and ultimately, winning the set 25-21.
The second set started as a back-and-forth affair with both sides trading leads. However, the Gators late scoring run helped them earn a 25-22 victory.
Martin was the architect of the run, scoring a team-high six kills in the second set.
The third set was even more competitive between UF and TAMU, but the Gators closed the bout on a 3-0 scoring run to win the set 25-20.
Alongside her game-winning service ace, Martin’s seven kills accounted for more than half of Florida’s 13 kills in the third frame.
Florida will remain on the road, facing LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Oct. 20 at 1 p.m.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X @maxbernstein23.
