Gators Volleyball Season Is Over

After winning back-to-back matches in the NCAA Tournament, the Gators season is over. The No. 1 seeded Louisville continue their purge through the tournament after crushing the Gators in three straight sets.

First Set

Despite a closer second match, Florida was outplayed by the undefeated Louisville. Florida started off hot in the first set securing three consecutive points. However, a kill from Amaya Tillman kickstarted an eight-point run for Louisville. From there, it was a back-and-forth volley between the two, with Florida and Louisville racking up kills.

The Cardinals get it done, taking the last three points. They win the first match 25-16.

Florida fights in second

After dropping the first set, Gators came out with vengeance. Both teams worked effortlessly on the court, but it was close the entire match. Back-to-back kills off the hands of Thayer Hall put Florida up 21-17.

WITH THE EXCLAIMATION POINT ❗️

cc: @HallThayer02

UF – 21 | UL – 18 #GoGators pic.twitter.com/UlRsg4DWdF

— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) December 9, 2021

It wasn’t enough though. Louisville’s Claire Chaussee and Aiko Jones killed the ball, bringing the game to a tie 22-22. Cardinals would collect  the final three points.

Not even close

The third set didn’t go the Gators way. Louisville came out rocking taking a hefty 13-6 lead. After a few points from the orange and blue, Florida clawed their way up to 10 points off of Marlie Monserez’s kill. Cardinals still led 17-10. Louisville began to truly dominate putting up six more points, with just two points to go to secure victory.

And they did it.

https://twitter.com/UofLVolleyball/status/1469028484542611461

Gators season overview

Florida entered the tournament as the 16th seed, eventually being eliminated by No.1 Louisville. Despite the absence of T’ara Ceasar, Florida still competed, winning back-to-back rounds before their elimination.

Florida finishes with a season record of 22-9, 14-4 in the SEC. While it was not the finish they wanted, Florida can be proud of the season they had and their overall performance in the tournament.