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Florida volleyball faced a tall task hosting the defending national champion Stanford Cardinal in the Gator home opener on Wednesday night. The match started out with a competitive first set but quickly turned into a Cardinal takeover in the second set. The third set proved to be tighter for Florida, but ultimately Stanford took the match in three sets.
The Cardinal’s key to success was found in outside hitter Kathryn Plummer. The back-to-back AVCA National Player of the Year, recorded 21 kills, three kills and six digs.
Florida’s right-side hitter Holly Carlton led the Gators with 10 kills, one assist and three digs.
Florida right side hitter Holly Carlton's post-game interview after the Gators fall to No. 1 Stanford #FloridaVolleyball pic.twitter.com/3NfRD4XdOP
— Mady Benton (@mady_benton) September 5, 2019
Stanford’s Dynamic Offense
The Gator offense came out blazing in the beginning of the first set. Carlton recorded four kills, while Paige Hammons recorded three.
However, Stanford responded with a strong offense led by Plummer. Plummer recorded nine of the Cardinal’s 15 kills in the first set.
.@plummdawgg leads the team with 16 kills on .545 hitting after two. @HentzMorgan with 14 digs (10 in the 2nd).#GoStanford
— Stanford Women's Volleyball (@StanfordWVB) September 5, 2019
The Stanford offense proved to be too much for Florida as the Cardinals edged out the Gators 25-22 in the first set.
Florida’s offense came to a near standstill in the second set, recording a total of five kills. Thayer Hall recorded three kills and one dig for the Gators.
On the other hand, the Stanford offense continued to roll. Middle blocker Holly Campbell added three kills, while Meghan McClure and Madeleine Gates each tallied two kills.
Stanford took the second set 25-17.
Regaining Balance
Florida fought to the end in the third set, showcasing their best offense of the night. The team recorded their best hitting percentage of the night, hitting .312.
Furthermore, Hammons, Hall and Carlton each tallied four kills. Additionally, Hall and libero Allie Gregory recorded three digs each.
Stanford had six players record at least two kills in the third set, with the team hitting .441 in the third set. The Cardinals won the third set 25-19.
Gator coach Mary Wise commented on the talent found on the Stanford team.
A Look Ahead
Florida (2-1) will travel to Minnesota to take on the eighth ranked Gophers on Saturday; Minnesota is currently 1-3 with loses to Florida State and Texas.
