Florida Volleyball Sweeps Mississippi State

The Florida volleyball team swept the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Friday night’s SEC volleyball matchup. The win extended the Gators’ win streak to four games.

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Junior outside hitter Sofia Victoria led the Gators in kills with 11. Senior outside hitter Marina Markova and sophomore middle blocker Bre Kelley each contributed nine kills in the winning effort. In addition, freshman setter Alexis Stucky posted 36 assists.

Gators Get Ahead Early

Kelley made her presence known early with a kill and three-point serving streak that helped the Gators jump to a 9-3 lead. Mississippi State struggled to keep up with the Gators after their strong start.

SOFIIIIAA VICTORIA ❕

SET 1 | UF 22, MSU 18#GoGators pic.twitter.com/9KQeMpITp4

— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) October 15, 2022

Florida concluded the first set on a 3-0 run. Two of those three points were thanks to big kills from Kelley that helped seal the 25-18 set one victory.

Mississippi State Fights Back

The Bulldogs got fired up after a disappointing first set, resulting in five straight points to start set two. Mississippi State’s Shania Cromartie contributed two early kills to get the Bulldogs rolling.

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Service errors haunted the Gators in the second set. Florida gave up seven points in set two due to unforced errors from the service line. The Bulldogs took advantage of these errors, but it wouldn’t be enough for the Bulldogs to win the set.

Victoria executed two kills late in set two that helped the Gators pull out another win with a 25-22 score.

Florida’s Finale

Once again, Mississippi State started the set strong by taking a 5-2 lead. However, the Gators came charging back with a 6-0 run to regain the lead.

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Merritt Beason was quiet for most of the match but came alive in the third set with a kill and ace to contribute to the Gators’ momentum swing. Florida won in set three thanks to a kill from Markova and a Bulldog attack error.

24 Hour Turnaround

The action doesn’t stop for the Gators as they face the Bulldogs again Saturday at 6 p.m.

Saturday’s game concludes Florida’s two-game series against Mississippi State.