GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 15 Florida closed out the Gators Invitational with a 3-0 record after sweeping the Virginia Cavaliers in front of a great crowd at Exactech Arena on Saturday night.
The Gators controlled the first set from the jump, winning 25-11 to start the match. Then followed with a decisive 25-7 victory before closing out the match with a 25-18 set three win.
Merritt Beason was named Tournament MVP, while both Marina Markova and Alexis Stucky found themselves on the All-Tournament Team.
The Gators were firing from all cylinders on Saturday evening, hitting an astounding .521 in the match. The last time Florida hit over .500 in a match was March 13, 2021 against Missouri. Markova led the offense with 14 kills, while Beason followed with 12 kills of her own on 17 swings for a .588 hitting percentage.
Bre Kelley also added nine kills on a .538 clip (9-2-13) and Gabrielle Essix posted six kills and a .667 hitting percentage to round out the main scorers for Florida.
Alexis Stucky captained Florida’s offense, dishing out 33 assists in the sweep.
The Gators held Virginia to just a .141 clip on the night and tallied 4.0 blocks at the net, led by two from Essix and Kelley.
Trinity Adams led the backcourt defense for Florida, recording eight digs on the night. Beason followed with six, while McKissock (5) and Kelley (4) combined for nine.
Florida kept its strong serving up this match, totaling 11 services aces behind the line. Stucky led the way with a career-high five, followed by three from Beason and two from Markova.
The Gators are back in action on Tuesday when the Stanford Cardinal comes to town. First…
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