GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 12 Florida volleyball team kicked off conference play on a high note after defeating Alabama in straight sets on Wednesday night in Exactech Arena.
With the victory, Florida improves to 9-2 and 1-0 in the SEC and are winners of six-straight matches. Alabama drops to 6-7 and 0-1 in league play.
The Gators are now 51-0 against Alabama in the all-time series, including 49-0 under Mary Wise.
Florida controlled the tempo in the first set, taking the frame 25-19 and then kept the momentum after winning the second set 25-19. The Gators closed out the match with a 25-17 win in the final frame to move to 1-0 in league play.
Merritt Beason paced Florida’s offensive attack on Wednesday night with a nine-kill performance, followed by eight kills from Sofia Victoria. Bre Kelley added six in the sweep, while Gabrielle Essix (5) and Marina Markova (4) combined for nine.
Alexis Stucky dished out 25 assists in the match, leading the team to a .321 hitting efficiency overall.
The Gators kept the Crimson Tide to just a .152 clip in the three-setter, tallying 6.0 blocks as a team. Beason registered a team-high three blocks, while Stucky, Kelley and Essix each recorded two in the victory.
In the backcourt, Elli McKissock posted a team-high 15 digs on the night, followed by eight from Emily Canaan.
Behind the service line, Florida recorded 11 aces, including a team-high from four from Canaan and a career-best three from Emerson Hoyle. McKissock also added two aces, while Beason and Stucky contributed one apiece.
The Gators are back in action for a two-match series at South Carolina…
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