Julianne Leskauskas made herself a headline Thursday night. In the second minute of overtime, the Rutgers transfer received a pass from Maddy Rhodes and took a shot off her left foot. The ball sailed to the top right of the net pinballing in to give the Gators the golden goal for their second win of the season.
“Wow!” Leskauskas reacted to her goal. “No thoughts on my mind, I was just like ‘I can’t believe that just happened. I was in shock, definitely. I’m still at a loss for words right now.”
The Gators defeated the Wildcats 1-0 in their home opener of SEC play to improve to 2-5-3 (1-0-1 in SEC play) and dropping Kentucky to 6-3-2.
Offensive pressure arrived late in the first for Florida when they found themselves positioned to get on the board in the 38th minute. Sophomore transfer Julianne Leskauskas lined up for a free kick from beyond the box, but her shot was just off target giving Kentucky a goal kick.
Senior Georgia Eaton-Collins would control the ball off the goal kick at midfield and send a phenomenal ball upfield to find junior Alivia Gonzalez. Gonzalez’s attempt at getting on the scoreboard would sail just above the crossbar.
Kentucky goal leader Hannah Richardson was a threat to Florida all night taking five shots. The junior’s best opportunity of the five came when she created space, positioning herself in front of Alexa Goldberg for a 1-on-1. Richardson was unable to control the ball and her shot sailed high.
The match would head into overtime at a score of 0-0 for the third straight time for the Gators. Leskauskas’ golden goal would give the Gators their first overtime win of the season in five such matches.
Alexa Goldberg had yet another impressive night, adding her fourth shutout of the season to her resume. Goldberg made multiple diving efforts and saved all six of the Wildcats’ shots on net.
“Alexa Goldberg is a star in the making, 110%,” her teammate, Leskausks commented on her performance so far this season. “She’s an absolute brick wall. She does not let anything, in her power, go in that net. She’s an absolute superstar. We would not be where we are with goals against us right now if it weren’t for her. She is the rock in the back that we have.”
Florida heads to Starkville to face off against Mississippi State on Sunday at 7 p.m.
One year ago, the Florida offensive line did an outstanding job protecting then Heisman Trophy candidate Kyle Trask, who throughout the 2020 season threw darts to the human-highlight film, Kyle Pitts. However, the they were much-maligned for their inability to punch holes for a running game that ranked 96th nationally, averaging just 131.5 yards per game.
On Saturday afternoon, Florida’s Big-Uglies pushed (arguably) the nation’s best defensive front around “The Swamp” to the tune of 244 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. In addition, the Gators’ pass-protection was good as well.
“We had a difficult time stopping the run,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. “They (Florida) had 258 yards rushing. I don’t think we’ve had that for a long time. I thought their quarterback did a really good job of completing some passes when they needed to.”
Florida’s 1,007 rushing yards through the first three games of the season is its highest total in any season in the last 40 years. The previous high was established in 2009 when the Gators ran for 868 rushing yards in the first three games of the season.
Do you think Florida will establish a new high through the first four games of the season?
If so, they will have to run through a Tennessee defensive front which currently boasts the nation’s 5th ranked run defense. The Volunteers are surrendering just 54.7 yards per game. Tennessee impressively limited Bowling Green to just 32 yards on 23 carries and Tennessee Tech to just 35 yards on 28 carries. Meanwhile, two weeks ago, Pitt ran for 96 yards and two touchdowns versus the Vols.
The Tennessee transfer portal looked more like a revolving door, spinning at 55 mph. Defensive tackle Carl Trembley arrived in Knoxville four months ago for his 6th year for college football from Southern Cal. Redshirt sophomore Da’Jon Terry joined him after spending two years as a reserve at Kansas. Both are expected to bolster veteran defensive line coach Rodney Garner’s group as reserves. The Vols defensive line boasts four seniors and two juniors, led by All-SEC pre-season (3rd team) DT Matthew Butler.
The Vols lost All-SEC linebacker Henry To’to’o, but added four transfers for linebacker coach Brian Jean-Mary. Some were not available in the spring though. Texas transfer Juwan Mitchell should help at linebacker coming off the bench.
How did the Florida offensive line group improve so much since last season?
Head Coach Dan Mullen wisely began spring practice in mid-February, roughly one month earlier than in 2019. The earlier wrap-up provided Strength & Conditioning Director Nick Savage more time to work with the group after the pandemic lockdown kept players off campus and weight room throughout the spring and early summer of 2020.
Offensive line coach John Hevesy also has a veteran group to work with here. Eight offensive linemen have been on the Florida campus for three or more years, while Reese was a starter at Mississippi State before he transferred to Florida.
Right guard Stewart Reese (48 starts), right tackle Jean Delance (28 starts), and left tackle Richard Gouraige (20 starts) played their best football in the Gators’ loss to top-ranked Alabama. Redshirt sophomore center Kingsley Eguakun has been especially impressive as a first-time starter this season. He has really opened eyes.
Hevesy has proven that he can develop players. The biggest issue is that he has struggled to get elite talent onto the Florida campus. Offensive line recruiting has to improve if Florida wants to play their way into the College Football Playoffs and fly a National Championship banner in Gainesville.
This group looks different than the unit we’ve seen the past two years.
Physical. Bruising. Aggressive.
And don’t forget this will be a night game in “The Swamp” with the Gator Nation in full force. You, the fans, earned high-rise from coaches, players, and members of the media as you lent your voices to the effort to knock off ‘Bama. There is no doubt that you’ll be fired up to annoy the Vols this Saturday night.
Personally, I think Florida can run for 200+ yards against the Vols. The Gators should wear down the Vols.
Throughout the spring/summer, everyone understood that the Alabama game would to serve as the measuring stick for Gators. There was little doubt that the Gators offensive line, averaging 6’5, 317 pounds would have some success against unimpressive FAU and USF defenses in the run game.
They flat dominated. And then they punched a talented ‘Bama front in the mouth for three-and-a-half quarters last Saturday afternoon.
I documented eight plays where the Florida offensive line opened holes for the Gators backs. You can take a look at them here:
-The second play of the Gators first possession saw Alabama test Florida’s right side, which struggled last season. The Crimson Tide sent safety Jordan Battle to blitz off the outside shoulder of right tackle Jean Delance. The graduate senior handled the blitz beautifully. Alabama All-American linebacker Will Anderson Jr. beat right guard Stewart Reese on the play, but Jones delivered astride to tight end Kemore Gamble for the first down. The play was beautifully timed.
-A few plays later, Florida faced a 2nd & 6 from their own 31 yard line when Jones optioned right and pitched the ball to running back Malik Davis. As Davis took the pitch, Delance and Reese threw a nice combination block on Alabama defensive tackle Justin Egboigbe. Delance quickly released and drove linebacker Henry To’to’o four yards back to the 41 yard line. The edge was beautifully sealed off by receiver Trent Whittemore, who threw a nice block on Battle. Davis was tackled by To’to’o, defensive tackle DJ Dale, and linebacker Drew Sanders, but only after he had crossed midfield to the Alabama 49 yard line. It was a beautiful run for 20 yards and a first down.
-Trailing 21-3 in the 2nd quarter, Florida offensive linemen Kinglsey Eguakun and Ethan White combined to blow up Alabama nose guard Byron Young, while right guard Stewart Reese walled off Damon Payne Jr. creating an enormous path for Malik Davis to sprint 26-yards for the touchdown. Davis had only an Alabama safety, playing center field to beat on the play and he left the Crimson Tide defender laying on the turf. David rolled over sophomore linebacker Chris Braswell into the end zone for the Gators first touchdown of the game. Richard Gourage fires and locked down To’to’o, allowing Davis to go around the left end untouched and pick-up 15 yards to the Alabama 12-yard line. Wide receiver Trent Whittemore also had a terrific block on defensive back Jordan Battle. Unfortunately, Jacob Copeland didn’t attempt to block cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis who dove, tripping up Davis so that To’to’o and safety Demarcco Hellams could finish him off.
-On fourth-and-one, White walled off Anderson Jr. as Eguakun blocked sophomore defensive tackle Tim Smith allowing Dameon Pierce to power his way into the end zone cutting the Alabama lead to 21-16.
Return man Ja’Markis Weston dropped a kickoff in the end zone that rolled out of bounds at the one-yard line. Florida redshirt sophomore running back Nay’Quan Wright was the workhorse on a 99-yard drive after the Crimson Tide took a 28-16 lead late in the 3rd quarter.
“We did it the first two weeks,” Florida running back Nay’Quan Wright said of the Gators #2 ranked (nationally) running game. “We are going to just continue to do it, whether it is against Bama, Tennessee, LSU, or whoever it is. We are going to continue to run the ball, it doesn’t matter who’s out there. We are just going to put the ball down and run the ball. We did it the past two weeks and we’re really efficient, so we are just going to keep it going.”
-Right guard Joshua Braun overpowered Smith as while White sealed off To’to’o for Wright up the middle for a 30-yard run to the 49.
-On the 11th play of the drive, Jones called his number on a quarterback run over left guard for the touchdown. Once again, Eguakun and White combined to blow-up Alabama junior DJ Dale.
-With ‘Bama clinging to a 31-23 lead, Jones delivered a pass to Whittemore just as Anderson is leveling him from around left end. The pass was a little low, but Whittemore was able to go down and get it. Eguakun had two ‘Bama defenders to block and went with the inside man.
-With 3:12 remaining in the game, Pierce later scored from 17-yards out to cut Crimson Tide lead to 31-29. The blocking was outstanding by the entire offensive line. Braun pulled from right guard and took out All-American Christian Harris on the play. Tight end Keon Zipperer and receiver Justin Shorter had terrific blocks on the play to aide Pierce into the endzone.
Mark McLeod is a freelance journalist who has been covering the Gators for 24 years. His appreciation of all things UF began as a kid, when his Dad, a Navy veteran, was hospitalized at Shands Hospital. He saw the fantastic work they did while wearing the Orange & Blue. He also owns, Koda, The World’s Greatest Siberian Husky. Follow Mark @McLeodLive. Email him at Mark@BlitzSportsRadio.com
After suffering three straight losses, Florida bounced back with a pair of 3-0 home victories over Coastal Carolina last weekend. The Gators will enter SEC action this week with a 6-4 overall record.
Saturday’s Match
After they allowed their previous five opponents to record hitting percentages above .200, the Gators held the Chanticleers under that mark in both weekend matches (.143 and .196 respectively).
Offensively, Florida’s efficiency improved drastically following several shaky performances. Florida outside hitters Sophia Victoria (14) and T’ara Ceasar (13) led the team in kills and freshman Gabbi Essix added a career-high six kills.
Gators setter Marlie Monserez filled the stat sheet with 38 assists, eight digs, five kills on just six attempts (.833) and a pair of aces. The senior Windermere, Fla., native posted 124 assists in matches last week and earned her seventh career SEC Setter of the Week honors.
Knotted up at 11 in the third set, Florida scored 14 of the next 18 points to clinch the match in straight sets.
Box Score
Coastal Carolina: 22-19-15
No. 14 Florida: 25-25-25
Stat Leaders
Aces
Ceasar/Monserez: 2
Hall: 1
Kills
Victoria: 14
Ceasar: 13
Essix: 6
Assists
Monserez: 38
Hall: 5
McKissock: 3
Digs
McKissock: 14
Monserez: 8
Ceasar: 7
Blocks
Dooley: 6
Hall: 3
Victoria: 2
Sunday’s Match
Florida came out hot in the opening set in which its incredible efficiency led to another double-digit victory. The Gators landed 13 kills on 22 attempts with only one error (.545). Victoria and Ceasar once again led the way with 14 and 13 kills respectively. After the Peurtan Rican sophomore tallied a career-high 24 kills last Wednesday against Florida State, Victoria earned her first SEC Offensive Player of the Week accolade.
#SECVB Offensive Player of the Week: Sofia Victoria
Ceasar recorded 11 digs, which marks her fourth double-double in the last six games.
Freshman defensive specialist Trinity Adams served her first career ace Saturday before she led the team with four aces Sunday. Sophomore middle blocker Nnedi Okammor boosted the team’s hitting percentage after she landed a season-high three kills on four attempts (.750).
Box Score
Coastal Carolina: 15-19-21
No. 14 Florida: 25-25-25
Stat Leaders
Aces
Adams: 4
Ceasar: 3
Victoria: 1
Kills
Victoria: 14
Ceasar: 13
Monserez: 6
Assists
Monserez: 36
McKissock: 5
Ceasar: 2
Digs
Ceasar: 11
Victoria/McKissock: 9
Blocks
Dooley: 5
Monserez: 3
Victoria: 2
Next Up
The Gators — now ranked No. 17 — will look to remain in the win column Thursday when they kick off conference play at home against Mississippi State. The match is will start at 7 p.m. and air on SEC Network+.
Although the Gators set a season high with 24 fouls, they were still able to come out of the Diz with a draw.
A scoreless 110 minute match on Sunday night would put the Gators at 1-5-3 and the Osprey at 5-1-1 in 2021.
The match kicked off just as the rain cleared up, yet it’s presence would still be felt. The field condition made offense hard to come by as players tried to find their footing on the wet grass.
Junior Alivia Gonzalez found the ball and a chance thirteen minutes into the match. She would take off on a fast break on the left side of the field. Hesitant on whether to pass it or not, she was a step too late as she went with a pass that would end up in the arms of the opposing goalie.
The Gators got another opportunity in the 28th minute when a ball sent upfield found graduate Kit Loferski. Loferski would cross it to junior Kouri Peace who set up to take the team’s first and only shot of the half. UNF goalkeeper Mercedes Snap would make the save.
As second half play began, the rain returned and tension rose. Florida was constantly penalized causing a reaction from the bench. In the 58th minute, the referee would charge the Florida bench with a yellow card for complaining about a no call.
“I thought it was a penalty. I wanted our team to know that I have their back,” Amato said in regards to the yellow card. “I thought Kit earned the penalty… and [the referee] didn’t give it. That’s his view of it and we respect that, but in the moment I wanted to make sure that I defended the team. He yellow carded me for that and I deserved it.”
No goals would be scored in regulation, sending the Gators to overtime for their second straight match and fourth of the year (0-1-2 in the previous three matches).
Twenty extra minutes would not be enough for either side to find the back of the net, ending the game in a tie. However, coach Amato sees a bright side in playing multiple overtime matches.
“It gives us extra reps. It helps us get a little fitter and it makes us harder in terms of being at a high and competitive intensity level,” coach claimed. “I think that’s going to help us. As the season goes on, it can be a grind in conference play. Our goal is to make the conference tournament and you’re going to be in overtime games. These moments we’ll be able to refer to.”
Florida will face Kentucky at Donald R. Dizney Stadium Thursday at 6:30 p.m for their SEC home opener.
The Florida Gators once again came the closest to doing something nobody’s done 21 months: beat Alabama. However, much can be taken from the 31-29 loss to the Tide. Let’s look at how they stacked up against Saban’s bunch for the second time in nine months.
Offense: A- A tale of two halves for Florida. It could absolutely move the ball but just couldn’t finish the drives as the Gators went into halftime with nine points on 215 yards. The second half? They outscored Alabama 20-10 on 249 yards of offense including a 99-yard touchdown drive. Emory Jones started shaky but he ended up managing the offense well. It wasn’t a great game from him but he didn’t need to do much as a passer thanks to the offensive line providing him and the backs with plenty of running room. Florida outgained the Tide 244 to 91 on the ground. That probably gave Saban a conniption. This is just like what I said after the 2020 SEC title game, Dan Mullen can scheme and run an offense capabale of playing with anyone in the country.
Defense: B– Good and bad from this unit as well. The Gator defense allowed Bama to go 7-for-13 on third downs plus a few penalties that extended drives as well, although some were ticky tack. Not to mention slips/missed tackles in the open field leading to first downs or touchdowns. But the defense made it look easy for Alabama in that first quarter. It allowed 172 yards and spotted UA 21 points in that first 15 minutes. The next 45? Ten points and 152 yards allowed. However defensive front pressured Bryce Young on several occasions. The man just seems unflappable. Jeremiah Moon seems to have found a home at linebacker. He’s flying around an affecting plays on a weekly basis. Though they had some problems, those seem fixable. It’s just a matter of them actually getting fixed.
Again not much for the special teams but this still made some critical errors. One them factoring in to be the difference in the game. Ja’Markis Weston made two mistakes on kick return: failing to take a kick out and then he missed the catch on another that bounced out of bounds and put Florida’s offense on its own one. The Gators actually only gained 15 yards on two returns. Then of course there’s the missed PAT by Chris Howard that if made would’ve left the Gators just an extra point away from tying the game on its final touchdown drive. Punter Jeremy Crawshaw had another 50-yard punt and one inside the 20 plus Christmann had four touchbacks on kickoff duties.
In conclusion:
Yet another close game between these two teams. Florida’s actually come the closest to do beating Alabama in their last two tries than anyone. But, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades as they say. Mullen’s pulled out big wins at home against West opponents. But when teams are elite, he hasn’t won many. Eventually Florida has to pull these out a little more often. However, this ballgame showed a lot of encouraging signs for this team going forward.
And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the crowd. It stayed the whole game and upped its volume at every single juncture.
The Florida Gators nearly pulled off the upset of No. 1 Alabama on Saturday. For those keeping score at home, the Gators were literally a missed extra point and a botched two-point conversion attempt from being even with Nick Saban and company.
Here are a few takeaways from Saturday’s game:
1. Emory Jones can manage a game. There has been a lot of talk about quarterback play in Gainesville over the first three weeks and while not setting the statline ablaze, Jones proved on Saturday that he can manage the game and give his team an opportunity to win, even against the best competition. That doesn’t mean there weren’t mistakes, there certainly were, but most fans thought that if Anthony Richardson didn’t play, the Gators didn’t have a chance. Jones proved them wrong.
2. The rushing offense is legit. Florida entered the game with the nation’s number one ranked rushing attack, but many scoffed at that ranking because it came against FAU and USF. The Gators gathered 258 yards on the ground, led by Malik Davis’ 96 yards.
3. Todd Grantham deserves a lot of credit. After allowing 21 points and three consecutive scores to open the game, the Florida defense made adjustments and limited the Tide to just ten points the rest of the way. This wasn’t a fluke, either. The Tide didn’t turn the ball over a single time, but the constant pressure in Bryce Young’s face kept the ball errant all too often. Additionally, Florida held Bama to just 91 rushing yards despite 27 attempts. Oh, and they did it without star linebacker Ventrell Miller.
4. The offensive line is the team’s MVP, so far. How can you not be impressed with what the offensive line has done so far in 2021? In addition to getting push in the running game, Jones was oftentimes allowed to sit in the pocket and wait for someone to come open. Against a dynamic front seven from Alabama, the Tide managed just one sack that resulted in a loss of only two yards.
5. Maybe Florida is good? Entering Saturday, we received many comments on our Staff Predictions article stating, “Florida has to play it’s perfect game AND Alabama has to make mistakes” for the Gators to get a W. In no way, shape, or form did Florida play a perfect game. There was a missed kick, missed reads, poor tackling at times, and let’s not even talk about what happened on that kickoff (until the next point) where the Gators had to start the drive at their own 1-yard line (result: touchdown). Yet, as the clock dwindled, Florida was still in this game and had a chance to, at least, tie it up. Maybe we are seeing a defense that is settling in and the momentum from this game will carry the team forward.
6. Attention to detail matters. Do you know why Nick Saban is as good a head coach as he is? It’s because he pays attention to the details. While I’m not trying to criticize Dan Mullen after a really good game, this has been frustrating since day one. The botched kickoff could have been a death sentence and is something that doesn’t happen to teams that pay attention to the details.
Florida could rise in the rankings despite losing, and they should. They pushed Alabama to their limits for the second time since December. Unfortunately, a few mistakes resulted in the loss, but the season is far from over and this Florida team still has everything in front of them. Win out and Florida will play in Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game, perhaps against this Alabama team.
Grit and determination on the defensive end of the ball allowed for the Gators to obtain a point in Tony Amato’s first SEC matchup as the team’s head coach.
A scoreless draw against Vanderbilt (3-4-2) is a step forward for the Gators after a 7-1 loss. Florida now sits at a record of 1-5-2.
SEC play began for the Gators Friday night and coach Amato decided to make some changes. Sophomore Anna DeLeon was not in the starting lineup for the first time all season. Kouri Peace was in at forward rather than Alivia Gonzalez for the first time in three games.
Florida spent a majority of regulation stuck reacting to a game controlled by Vanderbilt. The Commodores took eighteen regulation shots, nine of which came on goal; however, none found the back of the net.
Senior Shayne Seyffart preserved the draw at the 55 minute mark when she made a fantastic block with her heels on the goaline, stopping Abi Brighton’s shot and getting a team save.
Goalkeeper Alexa Goldberg looked to bounce back from a match in which she allowed five goals leading to her being taken out. She did just that, making her presence felt throughout the night with seven saves in regulation, shutting out Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt goalkeeper Kate Devine had an impressive night as well, making a save on all four Gators shots on goal.
Two ten minute halves of overtime would be quite uneventful for both sides. Both sides would take only one shot, neither of which came on goal.
The Gators get just one day of rest before they return to Gainesville to face North Florida for just the second time in team history. The match will take place at Donald R. Disney stadium on Sunday at 6 p.m.
No. 11 ranked Florida is set for a home matchup against No. 1 ranked Alabama to open SEC play. The Gators currently trail the all-time series, 14-21. The two teams last met in the 2020 SEC title game where the Crimson Tide pulled out a 52-46 victory.
This year’s edition of the series sees a pair of teams that start the season 2-0. Florida has dominated two “group of five” opponents while Alabama has routed Miami and Mercer in the leadup to conference action.
The following is our staff’s predictions for the Florida – Alabama game:
The Gators have lost seven straight to Alabama and it’ll be a tall task to get the W here, but Florida does have a few things going for them. Perhaps the biggest, is that this game will be in The Swamp and freshman Tide QB Bryce Young has never played in an environment like he will on Saturday. Additionally, the Gators have had a very vanilla offense over the first couple of weeks, and even Jacob Copeland says there is still a lot for Florida to show off against Alabama. At the end of the day, I just don’t think Florida has what it needs on defense to keep this game in reach into the fourth quarter. I’m expecting a close game through the first half with Alabama pulling away late, 45-21.
Another week of college football, another set of predictions. Florida just came off a 42-20 win against the unranked USF Bulls and now sit at No. 11 in the AP rankings. Alabama, on the other hand, takes the reigns with the No. 1 spot in the AP rankings after beating out Miami and Mercer by over 30 points, respectively. Can Florida take the cake in this matchup? Possibly, but unlikely. While the Gators put up a close 52-46 SEC Championship game, Alabama is, well, Alabama. The question one again lies in the Florida quarterback situation. Put in freshman Anthony Richardson or keep Emory Jones as starter? Can Bryce Young help the Crimson Tide inch towards their third win? Alabama: 52-20.
I wish I could break the seal and say that Florida will win this game but I have a gut feeling that Alabama will run away with the game early. Emory Jones seems to be Dan Mullen’s favorite quarterback to lead the snap count but Jones’ momentum only comes to a halt whenever Anthony Richardson is placed on the field. The dual-quarterback scheme may work against lower tier opponents like Florida Atlantic and South Florida but Bama coach Nick Saban has probably seen enough tape to know how to shut down both players. The Bama defense will show up and most likely shut down the Gators offense in the first half to make it a rather large score margin. Alabama 41-14.
There’s an old quote out there that goes something like, “If you have more than one quarterback, you don’t have a quarterback.” Alabama’s Bryce Young has his spot locked down with a 70.8 completion percentage and 571 yards in two games played. Florida coach Dan Mullen, however, has taken to the tag-team approach with quarterbacks Emory Jones and Anthony Richardson. Richardson became Florida’s lead rusher against USF last week with 115 yards and a touchdown. His 152 passing yards bested his fellow quarterback by one, yet Richardson did so on three completions. Jones went 14/22 for 151 yards and one touchdown. The back and forth gives me and plenty of other college football fans flashbacks of Georgia’s Jake Fromm/Justin Fields debacle from 2019. Regardless, the duo packs a punch. If they hope to stay within reach of a win, the Gator defensive line must maintain pressure on the poised Young to help the secondary contain such an explosive receiving crew. Alabama’s defense will have to stay on its toes as Florida’s offensive pendulum swings between two dual threat quarterbacks. With conference rivalry flowing deep in the veins of players and fans alike, this contest will be intense. An afternoon kickoff in a sold out Swamp will only turn up the heat. Alabama 45-27.
…
Florida and Alabama will kick off from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at 3:30 PM on Saturday. The game will be broadcast live on CBS as the SEC game of the week.
Up two sets to one, Florida State freshman Morgan Chacon landed her team-leading 14th kill of the night to send the Gators home after four sets.
After dropping back-to-back home matches to No. 12 Baylor last weekend, No. 14 Florida lost to in-state rival Florida State Wednesday night in Tallahassee. The loss marks Florida’s first against an unranked opponent and brings the Gators’ overall record to 4-4 (.500).
The Gators did not lose from start to finish. In fact, they narrowly prevailed in the first set before the Seminoles outplayed Florida for three consecutive sets. The first set was the only set in which Florida’s hitting percentage (.316) was higher than that of FSU (.068). The Gators landed 16 kills with just four errors, while the Seminoles logged 11 kills with a staggering eight errors.
Though Florida State had multiple set-point opportunities after building a 24-22 lead, the Gators scored the next four points — thanks to outside hitter Sofia Victoria’s trio of kills — to capture the opening set. Victoria’s offensive production skyrocketed as the sophomore tallied a career-high 24 kills after she landed only five kills through her first six matches this season. Redshirt senior outside hitter T’ara Ceasar was the only other Gator that produced double-digit kills. Ceasar and Victoria each racked up 10 digs to record double-doubles, marks Ceasar’s third this season and Victoria’s first in her career.
The Gators fell back to Earth in the subsequent three sets in which they landed one fewer kill but committed 10 more errors than Florida State. Trailing by one midway through the second set, the Seminoles scored eight straight points to take a commanding 16-9 lead. FSU’s advantage was not difficult to maintain considering Florida’s six unforced errors down the stretch of the set.
Florida State carried its momentum into the third set in which it jumped out to a 15-5 lead en route to a six-point victory. The fourth and final set marked Florida State’s most efficient set offensively. It landed 16 kills on 33 attempts with only 3 errors (.394).
Box Score
No. 14 Florida: 26-15-19-20
Florida State: 24-25-25-25
Stat Leaders
Aces
McKissock: 2
Ceasar/Monserez: 1
Kills
Victoria: 24
Ceasar: 10
Hall: 6
Assists
Monserez: 50
Victoria/Hendrickson: 1
Digs
McKissock: 17
Victoria/Ceasar: 10
Blocks
Hall: 3
Dooley/Monserez: 2
Next Up
The Gators will look to bounce back at the O’Connell Center Saturday where they’ll host Coastal Carolina in a weekend series. Saturday’s match is scheduled for noon and Sunday’s match will start at 1 p.m. Both contests will air on SEC Network+.
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