Gamecocks Snap Gator Volleyball’s 10-Match Win Streak

The No. 18 Gators volleyball team fell 3-2 to the Gamecocks on Wednesday in Columbia, S.C.

Florida’s 10-match win streak came to a halt after South Carolina (16-10, 7-8 SEC) secured its second back-to-back win in 36 years against the Gators. Florida (21-6, 11-4) left the match with one of the lowest hitting percentages as a team this season at just .129.

Final from Columbia#GoGators pic.twitter.com/ms1AneDCOg

— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) November 27, 2024

Match Recap

Florida took a tough loss 25-20 in Set 1 when the Gamecocks came out strong offensively. Alec Rothe stepped in to the outside position because AC Fitzpatrick was out after an injury against Missouri. Kennedy Martin walked into the second set with only five kills due to the Gamecocks pushing hard defensively at the net. Florida finished with only 12 blocks and 14 for the Gamecocks.

S2 | OUR GIRL ROTHE

Alec Rothe with the kill to maintain a close lead

Gators 16 | Gamecocks 12#GoGators | @NCAAVolleyball

📺 https://t.co/JN2HCLXGvt (SECN+) pic.twitter.com/MAx7gXsQwS

— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) November 27, 2024

After pulling off a 25-22 win in Set 2, the Gators fell to the Gamecocks in the third 26-24 when the teams went point-for-point till the end. The Gators’ defense picked up more the further the match progressed. Libero Elli McKissock finished the match with 17 digs while setting a program record in Set 2 by becoming the first Gator to play 514 sets.

Unable to carry over the momentum from previous sets, the Gators lost Set 5 15-13 after a missed serve from K. Martin.

What went wrong?

The Gators committed 33 attacking errors. K. Martin alone finished with 12 errors and 20 kills on 49 attacks. South Carolina outside Riley Whitesides, who took the same amount of swings as Martin, finished with 17 kills and only eight errors.

But the real issue was the service line. Florida and South Carolina struggled in serve receive and serving throughout the match. Florida finished with 13 serving errors, while South Carolina finished with 30 service errors.

S3 | OUR ACE QUEEN ♠️

Gators 3 | Gamecocks 1#GoGators pic.twitter.com/ojszSAgkwW

— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) November 27, 2024

Up Next

Florida will head to Athens, Ga., on Saturday for a matchup against the Georgia Bulldogs (10-14, 4-10) on SECN+ . The 1 p.m. match will conclude Florida’s regular season.

The Selection Show for the NCAA DI women’s volleyball tournament is at 6 p.m. Sunday on ESPN.