The Gators tallied 53 kills and hit a .301, as the Martin duo – Kennedy Martin and Isabel Martin – registered a combined 36. Kennedy lead the way with 25 kills for a .568 clip (25-4-37) to become the first Florida player since Jenny Whitehead in 1999 to record 25 kills in a season opener. Isabel Martin finished with 11 kills to register a .429 clip (11-2-21) in her Gator debut.
Freshman Taylor Parks captained Florida’s offense tonight, dishing out 44 assists while recording four digs, three aces and three kills in her first collegiate match.
A force at the net, UF totaled 12 team blocks and held the Rams to a .174 hitting percentage. Freshman Jaela Auguste and K. Martin both posted a team-high five blocks, while Alec Rothe added two solo blocks to the stats sheet.
We’ll take more of this 😌#GoGators pic.twitter.com/HtKTo52xkF
— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) August 31, 2024
Leading the backcourt defense, Libero Elli McKissock finished with 10 digs in her final season opener. Emily Canaan registered nine digs, while I. Martin (6), K. Martin (5), Taylor Parks (4), AC Fitzpatrick (3) and Emerson Houle (2) contributed in the fourth-setter.
Florida’s aggressive serving was rewarded with eight aces, with five Gators tallying at least one ace in Friday’s win. Taylor Parks lead the way with three, while I. Martin followed with two.
Records
No. 11 Florida (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
Colorado State (0-1, 0-0 Mountain West)
How It Happened
Set 1
- After being first on the scoreboard, Florida went point-for-point with the Rams at the start of set one. Colorado State’s aggressive serving gave them a two-point advantage throughout the opening half, but a 3-0 serving run from McKissock turned the tables as Florida went into the media timeout ahead, 15-13. Out of the break, Colorado State tied it up at 19, but back-to-back kills from Isabel Martin forced a Rams timeout with the Gators ahead, 21-19. A race to 25, Auguste recorded her first collegiate kill to help Florida take the first set, 25-21.
- Set 1 Team Stats | .448 (17-4-29) Hitting % | 16 Assists | 10 Digs | 3 Aces
S1 | Killin’ it!
Kennedy Martin with 3 kills early in the match!
Florida 9-10 Colorado State#GoGators pic.twitter.com/UL9COfoWNO
— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) August 31, 2024
Set 2
- The Rams…
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