AUBURN, Ala. – The 14th-ranked Florida volleyball team swept the Auburn Tigers at Neville Arena on Wednesday night in a battle of two of the top three teams in the SEC.
The Gators improve to 16-4 in the 2022 campaign and 8-2 in the SEC, while Auburn moves to 18-3 on the year and 7-3 in league play.
Florida opened the match with a gutsy 25-23 victory and followed with a 25-18 win in the second set to go up 2-0 in the match. The Gators closed out the match with a 25-15 win in the third to take sole possession of first in the SEC.
UF’s offensive attack was incredibly balanced on Wednesday night – led by a 14-kill performance from both Merritt Beason and Sofia Victoria. Marina Markova followed closely with 11 kills of her own, while Bre Kelley added a five-kill effort.
Rookie setter Alexis Stucky led the Gators to a .363 clip on the night, while dishing out 37 assists in the process.
As a team, UF held Auburn to a .112 hitting efficiency on the night and totaled 8.0 blocks at the net. Gabrielle Essix posted a team-high five blocks, while Stucky added four and Beason pitched in three in the sweep.
Elli McKissock paced the backcourt defense for Florida, finishing the match with 14 digs. Stucky added six of her own, while Beason and Victoria recorded five apiece in the victory.
Behind the service line, UF finished with three aces – one apiece from Trinity Adams, Beason and McKissock.
The Gators are back in action for a two-match series against the Arkansas Razorbacks, beginning Saturday. Arkansas comes into the weekend with a 14-5 overall record and a 5-4 record in conference play. Saturday’s match is slated for a 1…
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