No. 18 Volleyball Concludes Conference Play with Four-Set Loss Over Georgia

ATHENS, Ga. – Kennedy Martin registered her fourth double-double match of the season after recording 27 kills and 11 digs against Georgia, as the No. 18 Florida volleyball team fell in four (25-16, 21-25, 20-25, 23-25) on Saturday afternoon inside the Stegeman Coliseum.

The Gators conclude the regular-season campaign with an 21-7 record and 11-5 SEC record. Following the final week of conference play, Florida finished third in the league, with Kentucky taking sole possession of the SEC title.  

Florida came out strong in the first set with a 25-16 win, but the Bulldogs serving helped them rally back to take the next three sets, 25-21, 25-20, 25-23, on their senior day.

12 Gators saw action on Saturday, with Martin leading the way offensively. The sophomore All-American finished with 30.0 points and a .412 hitting clip, while also adding six blocks to her stat sheet to. Additionally, Isabel Martin and Amaya Thomas had seven kills apiece, while Jeala Ausute (6), Lauren Harden (2) and Alec Rothe (2) tallied 10 of Florida’s 51 kills. 

Taylor Parks dished out 42 assists to aid the offensive attack and finish just shy of a double-double with nine digs. The freshman also contributed three blocks and two aces to the Gators stat sheet. Alexis Stucky saw action as well, but in a different position. The 6’2 redshirt sophomore subbed in and played the role as an outside hitter during the third set.

The Gators posted 11 team blocks and held the Bulldogs to a .200 hitting percentage. K. Martin and Thomas posted six each, while Auguste added five of her own. Along with Parks’ three, Isi Martin and Harden tallied one block assists a piece.

In the backcourt, the Gators 54 team digs were led by Elli McKissock’s 16. Other than K. Martin’s 11 and Park’s nine, seven additional names contributed at least one dig: Isi Martin (8), Emily Canaan (3), Rothe (2), Thomas (2), Harden (1), Emerson Hoyle (1) and Trinity Adams (1).

The Bulldogs dropped a season-high 13 aces, while Florida totaled six. Parks led the way with her two and McKissock, Hoyle, Adams, and Isi Martin each finished with one.

Records

No. 18 Florida (21-7,11-5 SEC)

Georgia (12-14 6-10 SEC)

How It Happened

Set 1

• The Gators earned a 6-3 lead at the start of set one following a 4-0 serving run from McKissock. Georgia’s block allowed them to inch within one, but Isi Martin responded with back-to-back kills and a block from Parks and Thomas helped Florida gain a 12-7 lead. Out of a Bulldog timeout, the…