The Florida Gators Volleyball team left Starkville, Mississippi, with a loss Friday night. The Gators are now 12-4 on the season with a 4-3 SEC record.
The opening frame of the match belonged to the Bulldogs, winning 25-18. UF bounced back in set two as they cruised to a 25-20 victory. However, Mississippi State had an answer that the Gators never adjusted to.
The Bulldogs went on to win a competitive third set 27-25 followed by a match sealing 25-21 victory in the final set.
Florida was led offensively by Kennedy Martin with 18 kills at .333 clip. AC Fitzpatrick posted a solid 17 kills on the night to compliment Martin’s performance. Rounding out the offensive contributions was Sofia Victoria and Nnedi Okammor each tallying nine apiece.
Despite the loss, graduate transfer Kennedy Muff did an impressive job of getting her teammates involved. Muff dished out 48 assists in Friday’s match while adding five kills and four digs to the stat sheet as well.
On the defensive side of the net, Elli McKissock roamed the backcourt for the Gators posting a team-high 16 digs. Her performance moved her into third on the program’s all-time digs list. Martin, Emily Canaan and Trinity Adams recorded 11, 11 and 10 in the loss to Mississippi State.
Fitzpatrick posted a career-high six aces behind the service line.
The Gators will be back in action next Friday as the team travels to College Station, Texas, to battle Texas A&M. First serve is slated for 7:30 p.m. and will be available to watch on SEC+.