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The Florida Gators announced the 2023 baseball schedule Wednesday. The program will be celebrating it’s 109th year of competition in it’s third season at state of the art Condron Family Ballpark.
The Gators open the season February 17 with a three game series against Charleston Southern. Additionally, twenty of the first twenty two games will be played in the friendly confines of Condron Ballpark.
The Gators will take on fellow Sunshine State programs, South Florida, Jacksonville, FAU, UNF, Bethune – Cookman and FAMU in midweek action
The annual series against Miami will take place in Gainesville in 2023 the weekend of March 3-5. Once again, the Gators will face rival Florida State three times over the course of four weeks: March 21 in Tallahassee, March 28 in Jacksonville, and April 11 in Gainesville.
In SEC play, the Gators will host Auburn (March 20-22), Alabama (March 31-April 2), Missouri (April 14-16), Georgia (April 28-30) and Vanderbilt (May 12-14). Florida will travel to Tennessee (March 24-26), South Carolina (April 6-8), Mississippi (April 21-23), Kentucky (May 5-7), and Texas A&M (May 18-20). The SEC Tournament is scheduled for May 23-28 at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, AL.
Florida volleyball swept FSU Tuesday to win extend its all-time series lead to 44-21. The last time the teams played, the Seminoles bested the Gators in four sets.
Florida was the first team to draw blood in the matchup between in-state rivals. The first point was awarded to FSU after Gabrielle Essix’s block attempt was ruled an error.
Essix bounced back and got a kill to tie the set. Florida State answered with a 3-point scoring run to take the lead in the opening set, 4-1.
Essix got another kill to bring the set within 2. Florida State’s Audrey Koenig responded with a kill of her own, but Florida’s Sofia Victoria brought the set back within 2.
The Noles took 3 points in a row to put them up by 3, 8-3, and forced a Gator timeout. The home team went on a 3-point scoring run of their own, making the score 8-6.
FSU took four of the next six points to extend their lead to 12-8. A kill by Essix and two block error against the Seminoles brought the Gators within 1 point for the first time the away team took the first point of the set.
The team’s went back and forth for the next 8 serves, and UF trailed 16-15. The Gators found themselves out front for the first time in the set after a kill by Merritt Beason and an attack error by Emily Ryan of the Seminoles.
Ryan rebounded with a kill, but Florida scored the next 4 points with the help of 2 kills by Markova to extend their lead to 21-17
Florida won four of the last five serves to win the first set, 25-19, after trailing by as much as 5 points.
The Seminoles, again, took the lead to open the set when Alexis Stucky’s serve hit the front of the net. UF and FSU exchanged points for the next five serves and the set was tied at 3 a piece. Florida took its first lead of the when Bre Kelley got her second kill in a row.
The lead was short-lived as FSU took the next 3 points and held a 6-4 lead. Bre Kelley answered with a kill that was originally awarded to FSU when it was ruled out. Head coach Mary Wise’s challenge was successful and turned what would have been a 3 point difference to a 1 point FSU lead.
The Seminoles took two of the next 3 serves, and Florida’s answer came in the form of a 3-point run of its own, giving them a 9-8 lead. The team’s exchanged point, and FSU then took the next 3 points to take a 2-point, 12-10 lead.
The teams went back and forth until FSU broke the streak. The Seminoles scored 2 points in a row, took an 18-15 lead, and forced a timeout by the Gators.
The Noles scored again, but Essix stopped the run with a kill, making the score 19-16 in favor of FSU. Each team committed an error, and Victoria’s spike narrowed the lead to 2 points. The Gators trailed, 20-18.
Florida tied the set at 20 due to a service ace by Elli McKissock and an attack error by FSU. The Seminoles took three of four points and found themselves ahead, 23-21.
An intense rally, saved by Emily Canaan and McKissock, ended with a point originally given to Florida State. Wise challenged the point, and it was given to Florida after the review showed Victoria’s attack went off the fingers of a Seminole.
The game was tied at 23 after an attack error by FSU, and the teams exchanged points, making the score 24-24. FSU took the lead, but back-to-back kills for Markova gave Florida the lead, 26-25.
FSU took back-to-back points, but a kill by Beason kept the Gators alive. FSU’s attack and a kill by Victoria put the Gators on top, 29-27, and gave Florida a 2-0 lead.
FSU opened the third set with a service ace, and the away team had the early lead. Markova’s 10th kill tied it up, but FSU scored the next 3 points to give them a 4-1 lead.
Beason’s kill ended the run, but FSU took back-to-back points and forced a Gator timeout when it took a 6-2 lead. FSU added to their lead after a Koenig kill.
The teams split the next 6 points, which saw sixth and seventh kills by Victoria, making the score 10-5. FSU held on to at least a 5-point lead until Victoria tallied her second block of the game, and Florida trailed by 4 points, 15-11.
The teams took turns scoring back-to-back points, and Markova’s 11th kill of the match forced a timeout by the Seminoles, who led by a score of 17-13. The Gators kept fighting, and an attack error by FSU but the home team within 3, 19-16, and forced another timeout by the Seminoles.
Beason’s 12th kill in the match inched the Gators closer, but the Noles answered with their own kill to make it a 20-17 set lead for FSU. Beason got another kill and then a block and pulled the Gators within 1 point.
Canaan’s service ace tied the set. The error on the next Gator serve and a subsequent kill by FSU put them up, 22-20.
The Gators went on a clutch 5-point run, including kills by Essix, Kelley and Victoria and a service ace by McKissock. Florida stole the lead and won the third set to complete the sweep for Florida.
Beason returned as if she was never even missing. Wise said the star player didn’t practice for almost a week, and the team didn’t know she would play until right before the match.
“It was such a display of effort and grit for her to play as well as she did without any practices,” Wise said.
Beason showed no signs of rust as she was flying around the court and ended the match with a team-high 13 kills and 3 blocks with only 1 error.
“I feel great,” Beason said. “I feel 100%.”
Stucky also showed up in a big way and had 41 assists, 6 digs and 3 blocks to help run the offense and defense. Essix also showed her strengths as a two-way player, coming up with 9 kills and 5 blocks.
Wise said the transition offense wasn’t clean enough in the second set, and there were too many unforced errors in the third set. She said the youth resulted in some of the mistakes but also helped them crawl their way back.
“That’s the beauty of youth,” Wise said.
The Gators’ next test comes against the defending national champions, the Wisconsin Badgers. Wisconsin is looking to break the record for attendance at a regular season volleyball match when Florida travels to Wisconsin.
Wise is expecting 17,000 fans and a sold-out environment. She’s never coached in front of a crowd of that size, nor have the players played in front of that many people, but she feels honored that Wisconsin is attempting this record against the Gators.
“”It is such a complement to our program,” Wise said. “They could get anybody to come there, and they would choose Florida.”
Florida’s match against the No. 4 Badgers comes at 8:30 p.m. Friday in Wisconsin’s Kohl Center.
Gator soccer continues to struggle after another loss, this time at East Carolina, 2-1. Florida fell to 2-5 on the season with SEC play opening in less than one week.
First Half
Both teams got off to a fairly slow start.
Florida was a little more aggressive in the first half than ECU, shooting off 12 shots in the first half.
Goalkeeper for the Pirates, Maeve English, was fully prepared for the aggressive Gator offense as, she saved three goals in the first half.
The offenses for both teams struggled in the the first half as it was scoreless through the first half.
Second Half
The second half was full of action.
Delaney Tauzel broke the score column with a penalty-kick goal after a Pirate hand ball 3 minutes and 20 seconds into the second half.
Gator goal!
48:20@delaneyytauzel puts in PK after ECU whistled for hand-ball in box
That goal would be he difference in the game as ECU would take the game 2-1.
Standout
ECU Casen Parker has now up two goals in back to back games as she had two goals against George Mason on Thursday.
After an injury sidelined her all last season she appears to have come back with a vengeance as she has scored almost half of her team’s goals this season.
A Look head
East Carolina looks to stay out of the loss column as they haven’t lost since losing to South Carolina on Aug. 21.
Carolina looks ahead to SMU on Thursday.
Florida looks to put a “W” in the win column after losing two straight. They look ahead to an SEC battle against Tennessee at home.
After wins against Florida Gulf Coast and Georgia Southern Friday, Florida volleyball continued its winning ways and beat VCU Saturday in its third and final match of the Sunshine Invitational. The Gators didn’t drop a set on the weekend, only needing 9 sets to take down their three opponents. Florida did this all without star player Merritt Beason.
Alexis Stucky helped the Gators get out front of VCU as the first set began, tallying the first kill of the match. VCU quickly responded and scored the next two points, giving the away team the lead.
Florida answered VCU’s efforts and went on a 6-1 scoring run, giving the home team a 7-3 lead. Birdie Hendrickson quickly opened the set with 3 kills through the first 12 points for the Gators, leading the team to a 12-9 lead.
VCU crawled back within 1 point, 13-12, but Bre Kelley got Florida back on track for the moment, racking up her second kill.
Qairo Bentley got a kill for VCU to tie the set back up, her third on the day. However, Gabrielle Essix made sure Florida stayed on top, stuffing VCU’s attack and regaining the lead, 15-14 for the Gators.
Stucky stayed involved and got a service ace to extend Florida’s lead to 2 points. Florida regained their momentum and went on a 5-1 run. The lead was pushed to 20-15 and forced a timeout by VCU as the set approached its end.
Essix made sure to keep the Gators on top and got another block to add another point between the two teams. After an attack error by VCU, Essix came back and got a kill to extend the lead even further.
Kelley got 3 kills in 4 serves to give the Gators the 25-17 set 1 victory.
Ana Brangioni started the game off for VCU and blocked Marina Markova’s attack to put her team out front. Markova and Essix got in the way of VCU’s attack to tie it up before a VCU service error gave Florida the lead.
VCU answered, but AC Fitzpatrick scored back-to-back kills, and Emily Canaan served an ace to give UF a 5-3 lead. A service ace by the away team helped them to a 6-5 lead, capping a 3-point scoring run.
However, Hendrickson and Kelley got back-to-back kills to put Florida back on top. Florida extended its lead to a 10-8 lead, but VCU kept in the game and tied it up at 11 when it blocked Essix.
Markova got a kill to give the Gators the lead back, but Parker Hartzell’s kill once again evened the score. Hendrickson led her attack a little too far, resulting in a service error to give VCU a 1-point lead.
VCU scored again but Markova and Essix stuffed the away team’s attack to stop the bleeding for the Gators. Hendrickson then came up with another block and tied the score at 14.
Fitzpatrick got her sixth kill of the match to put Florida out front, 15-14. Essix involved herself in back-to-back blocks to help continue the Gators’ scoring run and put the home team out front by 4 at 18-14, forcing a VCU timeout.
Hartzell blocked Fitzpatrick’s attack to stop the Gators’ scoring run. Florida held a 19-15 lead, and Essix tallied her second kill of the game to give UF another point.
VCU and then UF went on 2-point scoring runs moving the score to 22-17. Hendrickson ended the second set with a service ace and gave Florida its second 25-17 victory of the match. The Gators led, two sets to none.
After VCU scored the first point of the third set, an attack error was called on UF, but the point was challenged and won by the Gators. VCU scored again, but Stucky faked the assist and stole a kill to tie the set again., 2-2.
The set continued its back-and-forth nature, but Kelley’s kill gave the Gators their first lead of the third set, 6-5. An error gave the home team a 2-point lead, but VCU came right back and went on a 3-point scoring run to retake the lead., 8-7.
The teams continued exchanging the lead, and no team held more than a 1-point lead until a kill by Essix gave Florida a 14-12 lead. VCU scored the next 2 points, but UF answered to hold a 15-14 lead heading into a media timeout.
Stucky lobbed a pass to Hendrickson who finished the play with a kill for her seventh kill of the match. Florida continued its run, and took a 18-14 lead to force a VCU timeout.
The teams took turns scoring, Fitzpatrick scored her ninth kill, Hendrickson served another ace, and Florida stuffed VCU’s attack to push the lead to 22-15.
VCU scored a few runs to keep the set close, but Florida won the set, 25-20, on a service error by the away team. Florida finished the tournament with three sweeps in three matches without Beason. Head coach Mary Wise said there is currently no update on Beason’s status.
Wise pointed to Elli McKissock as someone who stepped up in Beason’s absence. McKissock finished with 16 digs, 3 assists and a service ace on her way to being named most outstanding player of the tournament. Wise specifically mentioned her passing as a bright spot for the team.
“Elli (McKissock) does so much for our team,” Wise said. “Certainly worthy of a tournament MVP award.”
Fitzpatrick led the way for the team with 10 kills, followed by Kelley,who made the all-tournament team, and Hendrickson with 7 each. Stucky led the way with 27 assists for the team and added a service ace and 10 digs, good enough to get her on the all-tournment team.
Florida’s next challenge comes against FSU. Wise said Florida has a much different roster from the last time the teams played. FSU won the last match between the in-state rivals, 3-1. The Gators host the Seminoles in Gainesville Tuesday.
Florida Volleyball swept the competition Friday and picked up wins in both its games on the first day of the Sunshine Invitational. It took down Georgia Southern in 3 sets and followed by dropping the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles via sweep in the evening.
The Gators bounced back after losing back-to-back games to No. 12 Stanford and No. 4 Minnesota.
Florida’s first match of the day came against Georgia Southern, and the team had all the control through 3 sets. The home team Gators started scoring the first three points and led 10-3 through the first 13 serves.
The Gators stretched their lead to 9 points when they found themselves up, 15-6, and again when it led, 19-10. They ended on a 6-5 run and won the set by a score of 25-15.
The second set was the closest of the match, but Florida still never found itself trailing. The home team took an early 2-0 lead and never looked back, finding itself up by as much as 7 points.
Georgia Southern’s service error ended the set and gave the Gators a 25-18 second set victory.
The away team held its only lead of the match when it started the third set up, 2-0. Florida quickly took the lead back when it found its groove and went on a 5-point scoring run.
Georgia Southern stuck around and trailed by only 2 points when Florida held a 13-11 lead. The Gators allowed only two more points and won by a score of 25-13, completing the sweep for the team.
Florida never let Georgia Southern into the game and held control from the first serve to the last.
The away team had more errors than kills on its way to a -.010 hitting percentage. It had 22 kills and 23 attack errors.
Florida on the other hand hit at a .271 clip. Alexis Stucky led the team with 25 assists on its way to 37 kills on 85 attacks.
Sofia Victoria had a team-high 11 kills in Merritt Beason’s absence. She added on 3 digs and 3 blocks with another team-high 4 errors.
Bre Kelley manages a .625 hitting percentage with 5 kills on 8 attacks and no errors. She also added on a team-high 4 blocks.
Libero Elli MicKissock also made her presence known, contributing 6 assists, 12 digs and the team’s only three service aces.
Florida’s second match of the tournament came against FGCU, and it swept its second team of the day. Despite winning all three sets, FGCU gave Florida trouble throughout.
The first set was as close to the definition of “back-and-forth” as a set could be. FGCU took the early lead with a service ace by Chelsey Lockey.
The lead then changed five times, neither team gaining more than a 1-point lead over the other. The Gators broke this trend when Birdie Hendrickson’s service ace gave Florida a 21-19 lead.
The team’s 23-20 lead after a kill by Marina Markova was the biggest of the set. The Gators went on to win the set, 25-23, after another kill by Marina Markova.
The second set, while still close, was more in favor of the Gators. Florida took the early lead in the set after Stucky assisted Kelley’s kill.
The Gators held the largest lead, 2 points, until FGCU tied the set at 12 points each. Florida saw its first major scoring run of the game and closed the set on a 13-7 run, winning the second set, 25-19, on a kill by Stucky.
FGCU scored the first point of the third set when Skylar English got the kill for the away team. Florida broke a 5-5 tie on a FGCU attack error and never slowed down.
The Gators closed on a 20-8 run and won the set, 25-13. The Gators completed the set and won their second match of the day to stay undefeated in the Sunshine Invitational on Alumni Night.
Markova led the team in kills with 12 on 26 attacks. The Gators as a whole tallied more kills than FGCU on less attacks. Florida had 39 kills on 94 attacks compared to FGCU’s 32 kills on 100 attacks.
Kelley led the team in blocks with 5, and Gabrielle Essix and Stucky each had 4. Stucky led the team with 35 assists.
Head coach Mary Wise said VCU is a tournament-level team, so she was really proud of the group for playing the way it did. She said they had not practiced with the lineup without Beason, so she was proud of how they performed.
“They are competing for a league title every year in the tournament,” Wise said.
She specifically mentioned Hendrickson and AC Fitzpatrick as players that stepped up in Beason’s absence.
This was the alumni’s 25th anniversary, and Wise said it was a lot of fun to play in front of the group.
“Nothing makes me happier than to see alums back here with their families,” Wise said.
Wise said Beason is out for the rest of the weekend, and there is currently no timetable on her return.
The Gators’ next match comes at 4 p.m. Saturday when they play VCU at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
Less than forty-eight hours after leading the Florida Gators to an upset of No. 7 Utah, sophomore QB Anthony Richardson was named the SEC Player of the Week, the conference announced Monday.
Two Gators take home SEC Player of the Week Honors 🐊
Richardson completed 17 of his 24 passing attempts for a pedestrian 168 yards, but proved electric in his eleven rushing attempts. The Utes failed to stop the Gainesville native behind the line of scrimmage all night and he ended up with 106 yards on the ground and three scores.
Additionally, DL Brenton Cox was named Defensive Lineman of the Week by the SEC. Cox finished the game with ten tackles and .5 for loss in the Gators’ 29-26 win over Utah.
The Gators will open conference play against Kentucky on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN
Former Florida Gators infielder Dalton Guthrie was called up to the majors by the Philadelphia Phillies Sunday. The move was made as $100M slugger Nick Castellanos was placed on the 10-day IL with an obligue injury.
The Phillies placed OF Nick Castellanos on the 10-day IL (retro to 9/3) with a right oblique strain and have selected the contract of INF/OF Dalton Guthrie from Lehigh Valley (AAA). To make room on the 40-man roster, INF Luis Garcia was designated for assignment.
Guthrie was the team’s sixth round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft and moved to the outfield in 2021. The 26-year old has started 59 games in center field this year and is hitting .302 with 10 home runs and 52 RBI. He’s also stolen 21 bases and been caught stealing just six times.
Guthrie attended Florida from 2015-17, helping the program win it’s first National Championship in his final year as the team’s starting shortstop. Upon making his debut, Guthrie will become the 29th Gator to reach the majors since Kevin O’Sullivan took over in 2008.
Guthrie is expected to play a backup role to Matt Vierling and Brandon Marsh in the Philadelphia outfield until Castellanos is eligible to return.
The Billy Napier era got off to a good start with a thrilling 29-26 win over No. 7 Utah, sealed by a goal-line interception with :17 remaining on the clock.
Despite knocking off a top-ten team to open the season, there’s still much to be worked on moving forward. The following are my grades for 2022 season opening victory over Utah.
Offense: B+
The Gators offense did just enough to win on Saturday. They made the plays necessary for victory and managed to score when the team absolutely needed it in the fourth quarter. While the passing game left a little to be desired, the running game was spectacular. The Gators gained 283 yards on the ground for an average of more than seven yards per attempt. Also, QB Anthony Richardson put the country on alert as he rushed for 106 yards, himself, while displaying the athleticism that Gator fans know so well. The offensive line also played well, giving up no sacks and allowing the offense to find big holes in the run game. Additionally, the Gators went 7-12 on third down and 2-2 on fourth down. Unfortunately, aside from Ricky Pearsall, the receiving corps struggled to gain separation all night. That’ll have to change for the offense to reach it’s full potential.
Still thinking about this Anthony Richardson play from last night 🤯
A late interception by Amari Burney to clinch a win is certainly a positive, but how we got to that point is of concern. Utah RB Tavion Thomas ran at will in the second half. The Gators simply had no answer. Thomas finished with 115 yards on 23 carries while QB Cam Rising added 91 yards on 7 attempts. Rising also threw for 216 yards on an efficient 22-32 passing. Utah finished the game 8-13 on third down, a rate that will need to change starting next week against Kentucky.
Special Teams: B-
Florida was remarkably average in the kicking game. Punter Jeremy Crawshaw punted three times for an average of 40 yards (two inside the opponent’s 20). Though the Gators didn’t attempt a field goal, the kickoffs were no issue. Returns were a different story. Florida started short of the 25 on each possession that wasn’t a fair catch as Xzavier Henderson and Ja’Markis Weston could only gain a total of 81 yards on five returns. The Gators also had two holding calls during kick returns that forced the offense to start inside their own ten yard line.
How do you give the first coach in program history to defeat a top ten team in his debut anything less than a B? Play calling on offense seemed to be rather vanilla. Maybe they were holding back a little before playing Kentucky next weekend in the Swamp to open conference play? Seven penalties wasn’t the discipline Napier has been preaching all off-season either.
The bottom line is that this team did enough to win in all phases of the game. They will have to be better, especially against SEC opponents, but it was an incredible start to the Napier era.
Behind the support of the largest opening game crowd in school history, coach Billy Napier and the Florida Gators took down the No. 7 Utah Utes.
90,799 people lost their minds as Amari Burney snagged the interception to seal the Gators’ 29-26 win.
First-year Gator head coach Billy Napier stole a win from a top ten program in his first game as head coach of the program.
The team played Utah in a game they would normally be expected to easily be defeated since they were unranked going into the game. This time was different because they played in the home stadium, the Swamp.
The team’s offense showed promise all game but couldn’t always find a way to get points on the board.
Florida had the ball to open the game. After driving 64 yards, the Gators first drive of the season ended with a fumble by Montrell Johnson, Jr.
The Utes quickly took advantage of the opportunity and scored a touchdown in less than two minutes. Florida bounced back, and Anthony Richardson rushed the ball into the endzone to tie the game.
Utah answered with field goals on back-to-back drives to take a 6-point lead with 3:18 left in the first half. Florida only needed four plays to take the lead with Richardson’s second touchdown of the game, a 45-yard rush touchdown.
The first half came to a close, and UF held a 1-point lead over the Utes.
In an uneventful third quarter, Utah scored the only points of the period when Micah Bernard scored a 7-yard touchdown to put Utah ahead. The away team failed to convert the 2-point conversion and led, 19-14.
Florida, again, didn’t take much time to respond and moved 75 yards in eight plays. Johnson rushed the ball in for the 14-yard touchdown to put the home team back on top, and Richardson completed a pass to Ja’Quavion Fraziars for the 2-point conversion. Florida led, 22-19.
The fourth quarter continued its back-to-back nature and Utah capped off a 6-minute drive with a touchdown by Tavion Thomas to put the Utes up, 26-22.
Florida got the ball about halfway through the final quarter and had the opportunity to put themselves ahead. The team was fighting for every yard and had to convert two third downs before facing a fourth down with 1:53 left in the game.
Richardson saved the day and picked up the first down to keep the drive and game alive for the Gators. With 1:25 left in the game, Florida was put on top by none other than its star quarterback.
Richardson rushed the ball in for his third touchdown of the game, but Utah still had enough time to try to answer the Gators’ touchdown. Down 29-26, the Utes traveled 69 yards and found themselves at the 6-yard line.
Linebacker Ventrell Miller dropped an interception on the drive, but Burney was able to avenge him and seal the game with 17 seconds left on the board.
The Gators struggled to stuff the run all game, conceding 230 rushing yards on the evening. However, the team bested Utah in this category with its 283 rushing yards.
Johnson had 75 rushing yards, but Richardson was the star of the show. The quarterback rushed for 106 yards and 3 touchdowns and added on 168 yards through the air.
The victory didn’t come easy, but the Swamp saw its home team show out and win its 32nd home opener in a row, this time against the No.7 ranked team in the country.
Florida crawled back from down two sets to none and had a 5-1 lead in the fifth set. The team lost its lead and then the game, 3-2.
The No. 13 Gators may not have beat the No. 12 Stanford Cardinal, but it did show it could compete with a top program in the country.
“We were right there with a much younger team,” said head coach Mary Wise. “They are the blue bloods.”
The first set saw a back-and-forth battle between the teams. Every time one team jumped ahead, the other found a way to stay alive.
Florida started the set in the lead, but hit a cold streak and fell behind, 11-6. The Gators stormed back and took a 16-14 lead before Stanford called a timeout.
The Gators had the set point, up 24-22, but Stanford stayed close and wouldn’t let the team pull away. Florida had seven opportunities to end it, but Kendall Kipp’s eighth kill of the set won the period for the Cardinal, 31-29.
UF fought from behind for most of the second set. The team would fall behind, tie the set and fall back behind; the biggest deficit came with Stanford up, 21-17.
Florida again kept the set competitive and narrowed the lead to 23-22. Elia Rubin tallied back-to-back kills and put the Cardinal on top to take the second set.
The student section may have lightened, but the Gators came out even more fired up than before. Florida dominated the third set, and Stanford never managed to take the lead.
UF closed the game on a 7-1 run and won, 25-16. The Gators found life and were down 2-1 in the match.
Florida got off to a quick start in the fourth set but lost control and fell behind, 13-12. The Gators stayed close behind and took a 21-20 lead.
Marina Markova was subbed in for the final serve of the set and got the kill to tie the match and send it to a fifth and final set.
UF came out and took a quick 5-1 lead behind Emily Canaan’s 4 straight service aces. The team lost control, found itself down, 9-8, and scored only 2 more points in the set. Stanford won the set, 15-10, and the match, 3-2.
The Gators lost the match but showed it can hang with the best competition in the country. Florida scored 109 to Stanford’s 111 points. The Cardinal had 31 errors, and the Gators had 28.
The Gators had their hands full with Kipp, a former All-American, who had 19 kills, 6 digs and 6 blocks.
“She’s a terrific player, a senior with a whole lot of experience,” Wise said.
Bre Kelley was the Gators’ standout Tuesday with 8 kills and 10 blocks.
“Ten blocks against that level of offense,” Wise said. “She’s a worker.”
Marina Markova added 12 kills and 4 blocks, and Merritt Beason tallied 13 kills, 9 digs and 5 blocks. However, both players were responsible for 6 errors each.
The narrow loss showed the Gators can compete with top teams and can hopefully use this momentum and energy in the future. Wise pointed to the fans as a big influence on the game.
“I can’t wait until we get everybody down lower to make it even a tougher place to play,” Wise said.
Florida’s next game comes at 1:30 p.m. Sunday when it travels to Minnesota to play the Gophers.
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