GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The 15th-ranked Florida volleyball team closed out the series against LSU with a thrilling five-set victory on Sunday afternoon in Exactech Arena.
The Gators improve to 13-3 overall and 5-1 in the SEC, while the Tigers drop to 10-8 on the year and 4-4 in league play.
Florida opened the match with a decisive 25-18 victory and followed with a 26-24 win in the second frame. LSU grabbed the third set with a 27-25 victory and followed with a 25-21 win in the fourth to force a deciding fifth frame. UF grabbed all the momentum to start the final set and held on for the 15-9 victory to clinch the match.
The Gators were led on the offensive attack by Merritt Beason, who posted a 21-kill performance on the afternoon – tying her career-best. Sofia Victoria added 16 of her own in the five-set match, followed by 14 kills from Marina Markova. Gabrielle Essix posted a career-high 12 kills in the victory to round out the Gators in double-digit kills.
Alexis Stucky anchored the Florida offense, dishing out a career-high 56 assists, along with a career-best 16 digs for her fourth double-double of the season.
The Gators held the Tigers to a .168 hitting efficiency, tallying 16.0 blocks at the net. Essix posted a team-high and a career-high 10 blocks to lead the way, followed by a career-best eight from Beason. Nnedi Okammor and Markova also registered four blocks in the victory.
Florida’s backcourt defense was led by a 20-dig effort from Elli McKissock and Stucky followed with a career-high 16 digs of her own. Emily Canaan added 10, while Beason (9) and Victoria (8) combined for 17…
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