Florida Volleyball Drops Road Match At Georgia Tech

The Florida volleyball team’s 2023 season ended at the hands of Georgia Tech. Fate would have it that the Gators’ first-ranked matchup of the 2024 season would be against the Yellow Jackets.

After Wednesday night, Florida is likely hoping to never see the Atlanta school again.

No. 15 Georgia Tech (5-1) leveled No. 13 Florida (5-2) to the tune of a 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-21) victory in Atlanta, winning each set by at least four points. After a five-set victory last December, it only took three this round.

An Evening of Errors

From the second the Gators stepped onto the court at O’Keefe Gymnasium, there was a clear disorientation.

The Gators were shell-shocked on the defensive end, often looking out of place or being unable to get their arms around the ball when passing. Although having been a valuable contributor on offense, Gators outside hitter Isabel Martin struggled in the back row, failing to position correctly on multiple Georgia Tech hits.

Florida had no players log double-digit digs, with libero Elli McKissock leading with eight. The Gators had eight serve receive errors, costing them points in critical moments. The ups-and-downs of Florida’s serve receive has been a storyline in the 2024 season. The issues seemingly haven’t been fixed.

On top of the defensive shortcomings, Florida was inefficient down the stretch. The Gators committed 13 attacking errors and recorded a .275 hitting percentage. It is worth noting that at one point in the second set, the Gators had a respectable .349 hitting percentage. However, Georgia Tech was that much more effective on the offensive end, hitting .491. As the match went along, Florida’s hitting sputtered.

While the Gators have been led offensively by UNLV graduate transfer Isabel Martin, Florida is still without sophomore Kennedy Martin. The second team All-American has been out since the Gators’ first match of the year against Colorado State. She went down with an ankle injury, but no further update has been provided on her timetable to return.

Kennedy Martin’s absence has weakened the Gators’ offense notably. The preseason All-SEC player recorded double-digit kills in every match she played last season, along with notching a .400 hitting percentage in 14 of her 29 starts. Her consistency on the offensive end has been thoroughly missed by the Gators faithful.

Groundhog Day

The Yellow Jackets were led by hitters Tamara Otene, Bianca Bertolino and Larissa Mendes, each recording double-digit kills in the December match. Facing Florida once again, it was the same stars for Georgia Tech.

The Yellow Jacket trio were yet again in peak form. All three produced an unheard of .400 hitting percentage with at least nine kills a piece. Bianca Bertolino led the way with 16 kills, totaling 34 in her two matchups with Florida, establishing herself as a Gator killer.