No. 15 Florida Opens SEC Play in Dramatic Fashion with 3-2 Win Over Oklahoma

Thursday, September 26

Norman, OK

7 PM

Florida Gators

10-2,1-0SEC

University of Oklahoma

6-3,0-1SEC

Florida

Oklahoma

The Gators tally their first win ever in Norman, Oklahoma.

No. 15 Florida Opens SEC Play in Dramatic Fashion with 3-2 Win Over Oklahoma

Friday, September 27, 2024 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score PDF

By: Abby Wisecup

NORMAN, Okla. – The No. 15 Florida volleyball team rallied from a six-point deficit in the fifth set to defeat newest league member, Oklahoma 3-2 (25-21, 19-25, 18-25, 25-18, 15-13). The Gators, who trailed 9-3 in the final set, tallied their first Southeastern Conference win of the season inside McCasland Field House.

Thursday's win marks the Gators' fourth comeback win of the season and improves their overall record to 10-2 and 1-0 in SEC play. Three Gators finished with double-digit kills, as All-American Kennedy Martin led the way offensively with 18 kills. AC Fitzpatrick followed with 17, and Isabel Martin had 13 in the five-setter. Additionally, four other players contributed to Florida's 61 kills: Alec Rothe (7), Alexis Stucky (3), Jaela Auguste (2) and Lauren Harden (1).

All-American setter Stucky dished out 44 assists in her second full match back. Taylor Parks finished with five and Elli McKissock had four.

On the defensive end, Florida totaled eight team blocks, with Auguste having six block assists to lead the way for the seventh time this season. Stucky had four and Rothe (2), Martin (2), Fitzpatrick (1) and Isi Martin (1) combined for six block assists.

Libero Elli McKissock captained the backcourt, recording 13 of Florida's 35 digs. Emily Canaan followed with eight as well in the five setter.

Behind the service line, Florida dropped 12 aces with Stucky having a season-high four. McKisscok followed with three, while K. Martin had two. Canaan, Emerson Hoyle and Parks all recorded one each as well.

BATTLED BACK 🔥#GoGators | Presented by @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/XjhID8Gi82
— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) September 27, 2024

Records
No. 15 Florida (10-2, 1-0 SEC)
Oklahoma (6-3, 0-1 SEC)

How It Happened
Set 1

Oklahoma started with a 3-1 lead out of the first whistle, but the Gators were first to five following two kills from K. Martin and Fitzpatrick. The Sooners regained a two-point lead after back-to-back Florida errors, but aggressive serving from Parks put Florida up 10-9. The two teams traded points, as OU grabbed a 15-14 lead heading into the media timeout. Out of the break, Fitzpatrick recorded her sixth and seventh kill of the set to make it 16 across the board. The Gators fell behind by two heading into the final points of the opening set and called a timeout, trailing 17-19. Out of the huddle, Isi Martin put one down and Stucky served back-to-back aces and and force an Oklahoma timeout after taking a 20-19 lead. Another ace from the Gator setter made it 22-19, but the Sooners responded with two kills of their own to stay alive in the opening set. Points from the Martin duo secured the Florida win, 25-21.
Set 1 Team Stats | .414 Hitting % | 17 Kills | 16 Assists | 8 Digs | 4 Aces | 0.0 Team Blocks

S1 | Wait for it... 😏

Back-to-back aces from Alexis Stucky, keeping Florida leading the way in SEC aces!

Gators 20 | Sooners 19#GoGators | @NCAAVolleyball

📺 https://t.co/SNHKuf2MjJ (SECN+) pic.twitter.com/AyenS33Uj2
— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) September 26, 2024

Set 2

After grabbing the first two points, the Gators fell to an early 6-2 deficit. Following a Florida timeout, Fitzpatrick added two more kills to her stat line and slowed the Sooners momentum. Oklahoma kept a four-point advantage halfway through the second set, and extended to a 20-13 lead after a four-point scoring run. Lauren Harden checked into the match to break the attacking drought with a kill to spark a little run from the Gators. It was not enough to stop OU's .323 hitting percentage in set two and Florida fell 19-25.
Set 2 Team Stats | 0.77 Hitting % | 8 Assists | 8 Kills | 8 Digs | 3.0 Team Blocks | 1 Ace

S2 | Breaks the ice 😌

Kill by Lauren Harden to break the Sooner run

Gators 14 | Sooners 22#GoGators pic.twitter.com/0AdjSk1u78
— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) September 27, 2024

Set 3

Attacks from both Martins and Rothe gave Florida a 4-2 advantage, but OU went on a 4-0 scoring run to go up by two. The Gators climbed back to tie it at eight, but errors allowed OU to regain a 15-11 lead heading into the media timeout. A kill from K. Martin got things going for Florida out of the break, but the Sooners continued to be aggressive offensive to extend their lead to six. Back-to-back kills from Isi Martin brought the Gators within four, and an OU error forced made it 15-18 to force a home team timeout. Florida kept within three heading into the final points of the set, but back-to-back kills from Oklahoma made the Gators use another timeout after falling behind 17-22. Out of the huddle, UF was not able to complete the comeback win and fell 18-25 in set three.
Set 3 Team Stats | .129 Hitting % | 13 Kills | 11 Assists | 7 Digs | 2 Aces | 2.0 Team Blocks

S3 | CRASHES IT HOME ☄️

Gators 5 | Sooners 3#GoGators | @NCAAVolleyball

📺 https://t.co/SNHKuf2eub (SECN+) pic.twitter.com/Z7YxSR8NJI
— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) September 27, 2024

Set 4

Versatile hitting from Florida gave the Gators a 5-3 lead at the start of the fourth set, and Oklahoma called its first timeout after UF extended the lead to 9-6. Out of the huddle, kills from the Martin duo extended the lead to 15-11, but Florida's service errors allowed OU to stay within striking distance (17-14). McKissock "served" as the redemption factor, tallying back-to-back aces to give Florida a 20-14 advantage and forced a Sooners timeout. Out of the break,The Gators allowed Oklahoma to inch within four, but would not let it get any closer, clinching set four with a 25-18 victory.
Set 4 Team Stats | .367 Hitting % | 15 Kills | 15 Assists | 8 Digs | 3 Aces | 2.0 Team Blocks

S4 | ALL AROUND EFFORT🤩

Huge dig by McKissock, AC finishes off her fifteenth kill!

Gators 4 | Sooners 3#GoGators | @NCAAVolleyball

📺 https://t.co/1zgo86wFMr (SECN+) pic.twitter.com/6BlHGPt6Jq
— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) September 27, 2024

Set 5

In the fifth and final set where winner takes all, Florida falling to an early 1-5 deficit and called a timeout to regroup. Out of the huddle, K. Martin had two kills to slow OU's momentum, as the Gators went into the halfway mark trailing 8-3. Block touches from Auguste and Stucky gave Parks a ball to set Fitzpatrick and bring life back into the Gators. From there, Florida went on a 5-0 scoring run behind Stucky's serving to climb ahead by one, 11-10. The Sooners kept their fight and tallied back-to-back points for a 12-11 lead and force a Florida timeout. Out of the huddle, Florida reclaimed the lead after Oklahoma recorded a service error and Canaan responded with an ace of her own to take a 13-12 lead. An opponent kill notched it at 13, but OU followed up with an error to give Florida match point. A tip right over the block from Rothe secured the 15-13 comeback win.
Set 5 Team Stats | .278 Hitting % | 8 Kills | 7 Assists | 4 Digs | 2 Aces | 1.0 Team Block

S5 | PANCAKE ALERT ‼️

Gators 9 | Sooners 10#GoGators | @NCAAVolleyball

📺 https://t.co/1zgo86wFMr (SECN+) pic.twitter.com/mJrC1bWXX2
— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) September 27, 2024

Notables

Since 1991, the Gators have won each conference opener (34 seasons)
Six Gators set or tied season-highs:
- AC Fitzpatrick: .448 Hitting Percentage (17-4-29)
- Emerson Hoyle: 1 Ace (Tied)
- Alexis Stucky: 3 Kills | 44 Assists | 4 Aces | 9.0 Points
- Emily Canaan: 1 Assist (Tied)
- Isabel Martin: 1 Assist (Tied)
- Kennedy Martin: 2 Aces (Tied)
Three Gators finished with double-digit kills: Kennedy Martin (18), AC Fitzpatrick (17) and Isabel Martin (13)
The Gators remain a perfect 4-0 in the all-time series against the Sooners
Florida improves to 2-0 in five-set matches vs. Oklahoma
UF is now 1-0 against Oklahoma in Norman, Okla.
The Gators are now 2-1 in five-set matches during the 2024 season
Florida sits 2-0 in matches played on a Thursday
Kennedy Martin's 18 kills continues her streak of recording double-digit kills in every match she has played wearing the Orange and Blue
Elli McKissock ranks 2nd for career digs (1,825), T-10th for career aces (127) and 22nd for career assists (476) in Program history
Alexis Stucky ranks 14th for career assists in Program history with 1,623.

Thoughts from Coach Wise

"The teams may change but the competition has never: road wins in this league are hard to come by, and tonight we found a way when nothing came easy and Oklahoma was playing so well."

Up Next
The Gators welcome No. 12 Kentucky to Gainesville on Sunday, Sept. 29 for their SEC home opener. The top-15 matchup is set for 1 p.m. ET inside the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Fans can watch on ESPN with Holly McPeak and Courtney Lyle on the call, or listen to Tom Collett and Nick Cheronis on 98.1FM/850AM. Additionally, those not in attendance can follow @GatorsVB on socials for match updates or via live stats.

No. 15 Florida vs. No. 12 Kentucky
Sunday, Sept. 29 | 1 p.m. ET
#15 Florida 10-2, 1-0 SEC | #12 Kentucky 6-5, 0-0 SEC
Exactech Arena – Gainesville, Fla.
Tickets | ESPN | Listen | Live Stats

Series Information

Series Record 53-22 (51-15 under Wise)
3-set: 37-12; 4-set: 9-3; 5-set: 7-7
Home: 26-11; Away: 23-10; Neutral: 4-1
Last time out: 2023 | L, 1-3 | H | 23-25, 25-20, 22-25, 18-25