Sunday, September 28
Gainesville, Fla.
1 PM
Florida Gators
6-5,1-1SEC
3
vs
1
Alabama
8-4,0-2SEC
1
2
3
4
F
Alabama
16
25
21
21
1
Florida
25
23
25
25
3
The Gators win their first conference win under Florida's new leadership of Ryan Theis.
All-Around Effort Powers No. 19 Gators to a Four-Set Win Over Alabama
Sunday, September 28, 2025 | Volleyball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 19 Florida volleyball team (6-5, 1-1 SEC) earned its first conference win of the season under new head coach Ryan Theis, defeating Alabama (8-4, 0-2 SEC) in four sets (25-16, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21) on Sunday afternoon at the O'Dome.
The Gators' offense racked up season-best 68 kills on a .294 hitting percentage, nearly doubling Alabama's total of 39. Redshirt junior setter Alexis Stucky directed the attack with 53 assists, sitting only three shy of her career high. The All-American also added 12 digs to register her second-consecutive double-double, fifth of the season, while adding three kills and one service ace to her stat line.
Playing in just her 11th match of her career, redshirt sophomore Jordyn Byrd led all players with a career-high 24 kills. Freshman Milica Vidacic followed with a career-best 18 kills and a .485 (18-2-33) hitting clip, while sophomore Jaela Auguste added 11 kills to round out Florida's trio in double digits. Redshirt freshman Kira Hutson and sophomore Alec Rothe combined for 11 kills with six and five, respectively.
At the net, the Gators registered nine team blocks to Alabama's eight and held the Crimson Tide to a .136 hitting percentage. Auguste led the front line with 5.0, while Byrd, Hutson, Rothe and Vidacic each contributed three.
Florida posted a season-high 72 digs, with freshman libero Lily Hayes having a team-high 19 to lead the backcourt defense for the eighth time this season. Stucky added 12 digs and senior Emily Canaan contributed a season-best 11. Hutson was just shy of double digits with nine digs, while both Bella Lee (8) and Rothe (6) recorded career highs. Auguste, Byrd, and Vidacic each added two digs apiece.
From the service line, five different Gators recorded an ace: Auguste, Canaan, Hutson, Stucky and Vidacic to finish with five total compared to Alabama's nine.
The Gators held Alabama's leading attacker, Victoria Barrett, to just six kills and a .000 hitting percentage. Kaliegh Palmer paced the Crimson Tide with 16 kills.
Records:
No. 19 Florida (6-5, 1-1 SEC)
Alabama (8-4, 0-2 SEC)
Series record:
55-0 (1-0 under Theis)
3-set: 50-0, 4-set: 5-0; 5-set: 0-0
Home: 29-0; Away: 23-0; Neutral: 3-0
How It Happened
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Hear from Head Coach Ryan Theis:
"Happy for these guys and was good to dig ourselves out of that hole… When approaching matches, the other team has a goal, too. You don't just get to side out and then win the game, we have to earn it. Teams fight back, so the level of consistency with point scoring versus giving away points just has to continually improve."
On Vidacic's showing today and her progression so far this season…
"She got to Gainesville late and was thrown in a couple of matches early just for comfort and position stuff. We didn't have a ton of experience on the right side, still don't, so its been nice to watch her feel a little more acclimated, we're seeing some good stuff from her."
Opposite Hitter Milica Vidacic on having a career-high 18 kills…
"It's a pleasure to play for this team and is a big responsibility. I'm proud of my team and I think we have a lot of potential, we're just at the beginning. We're all working for the same things, together for the Florida Gators, that's a big name! … I'm still adjusting to the United States, as I have just arrived. The system in Serbia is quite different, so I am lucky to have wonderful people around me who support me."
Outside hitter Jordyn Byrd on her and Stucky's setter-hitter connection…
"Since January, we have been focusing on that connection and trying to get it better for situations like this, so the work in the gym definitely showed up today."
On building off this win heading into a tough SEC schedule...
"We can't go in having a big head, we just have to continue to move on to the next opponent, which is Auburn."
Notables
Florida closes out its three-match homestand against Auburn next Friday, Oct. 3. The match serves as the Gators "Pack the Dome: Taylor Swift Night" where fans in the stands will have chances to win two football tickets vs. Texas and Taylor Swift themed giveaways & prizes, as well as chances to win giveaways throughout the week.
vs. Auburn Tigers (10-2, 1-0 SEC)
Date & Time: Friday, Oct. 3, 2025 at 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla.
Tickets: https://bit.ly/3KrGk88
Promotions: Pack the Dome: Taylor Swift Edition
Listen: https://floridagators.com/watch/?Live=5765&type=Live
LiveStats: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=600751
Series Record 56-3 (0-0 under Theis)
3-set: 41-1, 4-set: 13-1; 5-set: 3-1
Home: 27-1; Away: 27-2; Neutral: 3-0
FOLLOW FLORIDA VOLLEYBALL
FloridaGators.com
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The Gators' offense racked up season-best 68 kills on a .294 hitting percentage, nearly doubling Alabama's total of 39. Redshirt junior setter Alexis Stucky directed the attack with 53 assists, sitting only three shy of her career high. The All-American also added 12 digs to register her second-consecutive double-double, fifth of the season, while adding three kills and one service ace to her stat line.
Playing in just her 11th match of her career, redshirt sophomore Jordyn Byrd led all players with a career-high 24 kills. Freshman Milica Vidacic followed with a career-best 18 kills and a .485 (18-2-33) hitting clip, while sophomore Jaela Auguste added 11 kills to round out Florida's trio in double digits. Redshirt freshman Kira Hutson and sophomore Alec Rothe combined for 11 kills with six and five, respectively.
At the net, the Gators registered nine team blocks to Alabama's eight and held the Crimson Tide to a .136 hitting percentage. Auguste led the front line with 5.0, while Byrd, Hutson, Rothe and Vidacic each contributed three.
Florida posted a season-high 72 digs, with freshman libero Lily Hayes having a team-high 19 to lead the backcourt defense for the eighth time this season. Stucky added 12 digs and senior Emily Canaan contributed a season-best 11. Hutson was just shy of double digits with nine digs, while both Bella Lee (8) and Rothe (6) recorded career highs. Auguste, Byrd, and Vidacic each added two digs apiece.
From the service line, five different Gators recorded an ace: Auguste, Canaan, Hutson, Stucky and Vidacic to finish with five total compared to Alabama's nine.
The Gators held Alabama's leading attacker, Victoria Barrett, to just six kills and a .000 hitting percentage. Kaliegh Palmer paced the Crimson Tide with 16 kills.
IN THE WIN COLUMN!#GoGators | Presented by @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/qhC6ztHef3
— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) September 28, 2025
Records:
No. 19 Florida (6-5, 1-1 SEC)
Alabama (8-4, 0-2 SEC)
Series record:
55-0 (1-0 under Theis)
3-set: 50-0, 4-set: 5-0; 5-set: 0-0
Home: 29-0; Away: 23-0; Neutral: 3-0
How It Happened
Set 1
- After starting with a 3-0 lead behind the serves of Hutson, back-to-back kills from Byrd helped Florida to a 5-3 advantage. The Gators pushed ahead to a 10-8 and continued their momentum with a 3-0 scoring run behind Auguste and Stucky kills to head into the media timeout with an 15-11 lead. Out of the huddle, a solo block from Byrd followed by an Ace from Auguste forced the Crimson Tide to used a timeout after falling to a 17-11 deficit. Byrd added two more kills to her stat line to give the Gators a 20-12 lead, Alabama kept the fight with two-straight points before Vidacic had two kills and a block assist with Auguste to help close out set one with a 25-16 win.
- Set 1 Stats | .407 Hitting %| 15 Kills | 14 Assists |11 Digs | 2.0 Blocks | 2 Aces
- Alabama Stats | .038 Hitting %| 7 Kills |7 Assists |8 Digs |1.0 Blocks | 1 Ace
LASERRRRR 💥
— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) September 28, 2025
📺 https://t.co/oRWbYsXIge pic.twitter.com/UIEcDVFC9t
Set 2
- Florida trailed 1-3 before a 4-0 scoring run with Stucky behind the service line gave the Gators a 5-3 lead at the start of set two. Alabama responded with a kill and an ace to regain a one-point advantage, but an attacking error from the Crimson Tide kickstarted a 3-0 scoring run off of points from Auguste and Vidacic to go up 10-6 and force an Alabama timeout. Out the huddle, Alabama took control with a 7-1 scoring run to push them ahead 13-11 and force Coach Theis to call a timeout. Following the break, the Gators fell behind by five (13-18) before attacks from Auguste, Byrd and Viadcic inched Florida back within one (18-19), but Alabama's was able to hold onto the lead and even the match at one set apiece after a 25-23 win.
- Set 2 Team Stats | .196 Hitting %| 18 Kills | 18 Assists | 19 Digs | 2.0 Blocks | 1 Ace
- Alabama Stats | .129 Hitting %| 8 Kills |8 Assists | 17 Digs | 3.0 Blocks |4 Aces
THIS BYRD IS FLYYINNGGG 😌 x @JordynByrd_14
— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) September 28, 2025
📺 https://t.co/oRWbYsXIge pic.twitter.com/uT4DXKjyJC
Set 3
- Early errors from Florida allowed Alabama to jump ahead 4-1, but an ace from Hutson during a 6-1 scoring run pushed the Gators ahead 7-6. Points from Byrd and Vidacic kept the momentum going and a 10-foot beat down from Auguste pushed Florida's lead to 15-11 heading into the media timeout. Following the break, Alabama made a late push to close the gap to one (20-19), but Byrd and Rothe continued to attack to extend the Gators lead to 22-19, as Vidacic sealed the set with back-to-back kills to close out set three with a 25-21 victory.
- Set 3 Team Stats |.317 Hitting %|19 Kills |18 Assists | 24 Digs | 1 Ace | 0.0 Blocks
- Alabama Stats | .186 Hitting %|11 Kills |11 Assists | 14 Digs | 3 Aces | 2.0 Blocks
OVERPASS KILL 🫢
— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) September 28, 2025
📺 https://t.co/oRWbYsXIge pic.twitter.com/oR5p98R668
Set 4
- After starting down, 3-6, a dump from Stucky shifted the momentum and kickstarted a 3-0 scoring run to notch it at sixes. The two teams continued to battle point-for-point until attacks from Byrd, Hutson and Vidacic gave Florida a 15-11 advantage at the media timeout. Alabama fought to stay within striking distance and capitalized off of Gator errors to tie it back up at 19. With the race to 25 inching near, a kill from Byrd followed by a pair from Vidacic helped Florida to set point, where Canaan dropped an ace to secure the 25-21 win.
- Set 4 Team Stats | .308 Hitting %| 16 Kills | 13 Assists | 18 Digs | 5.0 Blocks | 1 Ace
- Alabama Stats | .150 Hitting %| 13 Kills |12 Assists |15 Digs |2.0 Blocks | 1 Ace
NEW CAREER HIGH UNLOCKED 🔓
— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) September 28, 2025
2️⃣4️⃣ kills for @JordynByrd_14
📺 https://t.co/oRWbYsXIge
📺 https://t.co/oRWbYsXIge pic.twitter.com/pSD4SAdn1a
Hear from Head Coach Ryan Theis:
"Happy for these guys and was good to dig ourselves out of that hole… When approaching matches, the other team has a goal, too. You don't just get to side out and then win the game, we have to earn it. Teams fight back, so the level of consistency with point scoring versus giving away points just has to continually improve."
On Vidacic's showing today and her progression so far this season…
"She got to Gainesville late and was thrown in a couple of matches early just for comfort and position stuff. We didn't have a ton of experience on the right side, still don't, so its been nice to watch her feel a little more acclimated, we're seeing some good stuff from her."
Opposite Hitter Milica Vidacic on having a career-high 18 kills…
"It's a pleasure to play for this team and is a big responsibility. I'm proud of my team and I think we have a lot of potential, we're just at the beginning. We're all working for the same things, together for the Florida Gators, that's a big name! … I'm still adjusting to the United States, as I have just arrived. The system in Serbia is quite different, so I am lucky to have wonderful people around me who support me."
Outside hitter Jordyn Byrd on her and Stucky's setter-hitter connection…
"Since January, we have been focusing on that connection and trying to get it better for situations like this, so the work in the gym definitely showed up today."
On building off this win heading into a tough SEC schedule...
"We can't go in having a big head, we just have to continue to move on to the next opponent, which is Auburn."
Notables
- Florida moves to 2-2 in four-set matches this season.
- The Gators improve to 3-1 inside the O'Dome in 2025.
- When playing on a Sunday, UF is now 5-1
- The Gators close out September play with a 4-4 record
- Five Gators either set or tied a career high:
- Jordyn Byrd: 24 Kills | 26.0 Points | 3.0 Blocks (tied)
- Milica Vidacic: 18 Kills | .485 hitting % (18-2-33) | 20.5 Points| 1 Ace (tied)
- Alec Rothe: 6 Digs | 1 Assists (tied)
- Bella Lee: 8 Digs
- Kira Hutson: 4 Assists
- Two Gators either set or tied season-highs:
- Alexis Stucky: 53 Assists | 12 Digs (tied) | 3 Kills (tied)
- Emily Canaan: 11 Digs | 1 Ace (tied)
- As a team, Florida set five, four-set highs:
- 82.0 Points
- .290 Hitting %
- 68 Kills
- 72 Digs
- 63 Assists
- Three Gators recorded four, four-set highs:
- Jordyn Byrd: 26.0 Points |24 Kills
- Lily Hayes: 19 Digs
- Alexis Stucky: 53 Assists
- Alexis Stucky recorded her fifth double-double of the season after tallying 53 assists and 12 digs
- Three Gators finished with double-digit kills:
- Jordyn Byrd: 24
- Milica Vidacic: 18
- Jaela Auguste: 11
- Three Gators finished with double-digit digs:
- Lily Hayes: 19
- Alexis Stucky: 12
- Emily Canaan: 11
Florida closes out its three-match homestand against Auburn next Friday, Oct. 3. The match serves as the Gators "Pack the Dome: Taylor Swift Night" where fans in the stands will have chances to win two football tickets vs. Texas and Taylor Swift themed giveaways & prizes, as well as chances to win giveaways throughout the week.
vs. Auburn Tigers (10-2, 1-0 SEC)
Date & Time: Friday, Oct. 3, 2025 at 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla.
Tickets: https://bit.ly/3KrGk88
Promotions: Pack the Dome: Taylor Swift Edition
- Taylor Swift themed giveaways & prizes
- Light-up foam sticks & shakers for the lower bowl
- Enter-to-win two football vs. Texas tickets
Listen: https://floridagators.com/watch/?Live=5765&type=Live
LiveStats: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=600751
Series Record 56-3 (0-0 under Theis)
3-set: 41-1, 4-set: 13-1; 5-set: 3-1
Home: 27-1; Away: 27-2; Neutral: 3-0
FOLLOW FLORIDA VOLLEYBALL
FloridaGators.com
Instagram | Facebook | X
Team Stats
UA
UF
Kills
39
68
Errors
20
23
Attempts
140
153
Hitting %
.136
.294
Points
56.0
82.0
Assists
38
63
Aces
9
5
Blocks
8
9
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
24
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
18
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
11
Aces
1
Blocks
5
Kills
6
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
MB
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballOPP
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