GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 14 Florida volleyball team closed out the series against the Arkansas Razorbacks with a thrilling five-set victory on Sunday afternoon in Exactech Arena.
The Gators improve to 18-4 on the year and 10-2 in the SEC after winning three-straight matches, while Arkansas falls to 14-7 overall and 5-6 in league play.
The Razorbacks opened the match with 25-20 victory in the first frame, but the Gators answered with a 25-23 win in the second. Florida clinched the third set with a 25-18 victory, but Arkansas forced a deciding fifth set with a 25-20 win in the fourth. The Gators secured the match with a 15-7 win in the final frame to reach 10 wins in the SEC.
Florida was led on the offensive front by a 17-kill performance from Marina Markova. Sofia Victoria pitched in 16, while Merritt Beason added in a 12-kill effort. Both middle blockers – Bre Kelley and Gabrielle Essix – posted nine kills in the victory to round out the Gator scorers.
Alexis Stucky notched her fifth double-double of the season after registering 54 assists and 14 digs, all while leading the team to a .253 clip.
As a squad, Florida held Arkansas to a .199 hitting efficiency on the afternoon, to go along with 12.0 blocks. Essix posted a team-high eight blocks on the afternoon, followed by five from Beason. Kelley registered four of her own in the match, while Stucky and Markova each added three apiece.
Stucky and Elli McKissock paced the backcourt, each recording a 14-dig performance. Those were followed by Beason’s 11, while Emily Canaan (7), Trinity Adams (5) and Victoria (4) combined for 16 in the match.
Canaan posted two…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Florida Gators…