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The Florida volleyball team made quick work of the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles Friday evening to complete its second sweep of the day in the Sunshine Invitational.
Senior outside hitter Marina Markova led the way for the Gators tallying 12 kills. Meanwhile, sophomore middle blocker Bre Kelley and junior outside hitter AC Fitzpatrick rounded out the attacking effort with seven kills apiece. Freshman setter Alexis Stucky dished out 35 assists to steady the Gators through the match.
The Gators were without sophomore outside hitter/right side Merritt Beason due to injury.
Distinguished Guests in the O’Dome
UF President Kent Fuchs was in the building to watch the Gators defeat the Eagles. After the game, Fuchs spoke with Florida coach Mary Wise and the rest of the team.
In addition, the Gators welcomed home Florida volleyball alumni for the 25th anniversary of the 1997 team. Wise spoke on what it meant to have her past players back for a special alumni celebration.
Eagles Initially Bring Electricity
The Eagles brought the heat to start set one with fifth-year senior Chelsey Lockey delivering an ace on the opening serve. Throughout the first set, the score remained close, but FGCU controlled the pace of the game and often caught the Gators out of system.
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Wise called a timeout down 15-14 to help her squad regroup. At first, the timeout slowed down the Eagles, but they quickly regained control with two kills from Lockey. The Gators rallied to take a 21-19 lead. A kill from Kelley and an ace from Birdie Hendrickson forced FGCU coach Matt Botsford to call a timeout.
It didn’t help as Florida pulled through with a 25-23 set one victory despite a sloppy start.
Gators Secure Set Two
The Gators jumped to a 7-5 lead to begin the second set. Kelley executed a clean kill that brought the crowd to its feet. However, the Eagles weren’t going away just yet. Kills from FGCU’s Erin Shomaker and multiple Florida attacking errors kept the score close.
Florida pulled away from FGCU with a 5-0 run to give the Gators a 17-12 lead. Markova contributed two kills to the Gators’ run.
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The Eagles responded with a 3-0 run of their own, but it wouldn’t be enough to top the Gators. Fitzpatrick provided two clutch kills in the final moments of the second set to lift Florida over FGCU.
Fantastic Finale for Florida
Florida maintained control of the third set with early kills from Kelley and Markova. FGCU’s Skylar English kept the game close with two kills of her own. Another kill from Kelley and an FGCU attack error prompted Botsford to call another timeout down 12-8. In that timeout, Botsford emphasized one specific message for his team; be aggressive.
The Eagles struggled to keep up as the Gators continued to extend their lead 15-9. Four attack errors hurt FGCU down the stretch and allowed Florida to completely pull away.
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A kill from Fitzpatrick and a Trinity Adams ace sealed the match for the Gators as they walked away with a 25-13 win in set three. Wise said that the key to maintaining control of the third set was making better hitting choices and serving.
Concluding the Sunshine Invitational
The Gators take on Virginia Commonwealth in the final match of the Sunshine Invitational September 10 at 4:00 p.m. The Rams defeated Georgia Southern in a five-set thriller Friday.
