Florida Gators volleyball falls to No. 4 Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS – The 13th-ranked Florida Gators dropped a tightly-contested four setter to the fourth-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers on Sunday afternoon in Maturi Pavilion.

Minnesota took the tight 25-22 battle in the first set, but Florida answered with a decisive 25-17 victory in the second set. The Golden Gophers took the third frame in another hard-fought 25-22 contest, then closed out the match with a 25-16 victory in the fourth.

Florida was led on the offensive attack by Marina Markova, who posted 15 kills and a .444 clip on the afternoon. Merritt Beason and Sofia Victoria tallied 11 kills apiece in the match.

Alexis Stucky captained the Florida offense, dishing out 33 assists in the four-setter.

As a team, the Gators held Minnesota to a .205 clip on the afternoon, registering 14.0 blocks at the net. Bre Kelley posted a team-high seven blocks at the net, followed by a career-high six from Stucky. Gabrielle Essix and Beason each tallied four blocks apiece in the match.

Florida’s backcourt defense was led by two 12-dig efforts from Elli McKissock and Stucky. Beason was just one dig off a double-double, finishing the match with nine.

UF totaled five aces from behind the service line, led by four from Trinity Adams. That mark tied her career-high set a season ago.

The Gators return to action on Sept. 9/10 for the Sunshine Invitational, taking place at Exatech Arena. Florida welcomes Georgia Southern, FGCU and VCU for the two-day tournament.

Records
No. 13 Florida (3-2)
No. 4 Minnesota (2-2)

How It Happened

• The Golden Gophers got off to the quick start to begin the match, using a 5-0 service run to take the 7-2 advantage. The Gators utilized their first timeout of the set to halt the run, coming out of the break with a 5-0 run of their own to knot the frame at 7-7. The two teams continued to battle through the middle of the set, with neither team holding more than a two-point lead. The momentum swung the Gators’ way with the set tied at 15-all, with UF then forcing a Minnesota timeout after taking the 17-15 lead. Out of that timeout, the Golden Gophers went on a 6-4 spurt to take the two-point advantage at 21-19. Florida pulled back to within one at 23-22, but Minnesota closed the frame on a 2-0 run to take the first set.
  • Both teams hit below .200 in the first set, with the Gators registering a .167 clip to Minnesota’s .120. Markova led the way with five kills, while Victoria and Beason tallied four and three, respectively.
• Florida held the early advantage in the second set, going on a 6-1 run to force a Minnesota timeout at the 9-5 mark. Trinity Adams continued her strong showing behind the service line, recording three-straight aces to put the Gators up 14-5. With Florida up 10 points at the 16-6 mark, the Golden Gophers chipped away to cut the deficit to six to force a UF timeout. Six points would be the closest Minnesota would get the rest of the way, as Florida cruised to a 25-17 victory to even the match.
  • The Gators hit .321 in the second set, while holding Minnesota to a .065 clip. Beason and Markova each registered four kills in the frame.
• Minnesota took an early 7-3 lead in the third set, but after a Florida timeout, Beason led the Gators on a 5-0 service run to give UF the lead at 8-7. The frame continued to be a tight contest from that point on, until Minnesota was able to grab the four-point advantage at 20-16 to force UF’s second timeout of the set. The Gators pulled to within two at 24-22, but Minnesota closed it out at 25-22 to secure the 2-1 lead in the match.
  • Florida hit .267 in the third set, led by five kills from Markova and three from Victoria.
• After a 5-1 UF lead to start the fourth, Florida and Minnesota went back-and-forth in the set. With the score knotted at 10-10, Minnesota went on an 8-2 run to gain the 18-12 advantage. The Gators chipped away at the lead, but could not get closer than five, with the Golden Gophers winning 25-16.
  • Beason and Victoria each recorded three kills in the final frame.

Notables  

• Trinity Adams tied her career-high in service aces with four
• Emily Canaan tied her career-best in digs with dix
• Alexis Stucky recorded the first double-double of her career, tallying 33 assists and 12 digs
  • The 12 digs were a career-high for the freshman
  • Stucky also registered six blocks in the match, setting a new career-best mark
• The Gators are now 2-6 in the all-time series against the Golden Gophers
• UF drops to 1-3 in four-set matches against Minnesota

Up Next

• The Gators return home for the Sunshine Invitational on Sept. 9 and 10
• Georgia Southern, Florida Gulf Coast and VCU will be making the trip to Exactech Arena
• Florida kicks off the tournament on Friday, Sept. 9 at 10 a.m. against Georgia Southern
• All of UF’s matches will be streamed on SEC Network +