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Published Aug 28, 2022
This, That, & More on a Sunday
Jason Higdon  •  1standTenFlorida
Publisher
Twitter
@Jason_Higdon

This, That, & More on a Sunday:


Player Spotlight:

Eddy Pierre-Louis

Offensive Line

6-foot-4, 310-Pounds

Tampa (FL)

Tampa Catholic

2024


“What I hope to accomplish from the UF visit (Week One) is seeing the new facility and seeing them play as a team to win their game.”


“I will be looking at the linemen and dline, seeing how they step and how the coaches help fix their mistakes.”


“I have a pretty solid relationship with the coaches. I talk to them about every three weeks. I feel like coach Napier made a great impression and is putting Florida in a great spot.”

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Close Up of the Gary Condron Family Dining Hall:

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Gators Open 2022 Season With Win Over Ospreys

Florida completes comeback to start the season 1-0

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The No. 15 Florida volleyball team opened its season on a high note Friday, defeating the North Florida Ospreys in four sets in Exactech Arena.

North Florida clinched the first set, 25-20, but the Gators answered with a come-from-behind 25-23 victory in the second frame. The third and fourth sets belonged to Florida, with UF claiming 25-15 and 25-13 wins to secure 1-0 start to the season.

With this victory, Florida has now won 30 season openers, including six-straight.

UF racked up 56 kills in the four-setter, with Marina Markova posting a team-high 16 in her Gator debut. Merritt Beason added 12 kills of her own, followed by 11 from Bre Kelley.

Gabrielle Essix posted a career-high nine kills in the match, while Sofia Victoria rounded out the scorers with five kills of her own.

Three Gators recorded over a .300 hitting percentage, with Kelley leading the way on a .688 clip (11-0-16). Markova finished with a 16-2-32 line for a .438 hitting percentage and Essix posted a .533 clip, finishing with nine kills on 15 swings with one error.

Alexis Stucky posted 36 assists in her first collegiate match, while Birdie Hendrickson added 10 assists of her own in the season opener.

The Gators kept the Ospreys to below a .200 hitting percentage on the night (.195), racking up 6.0 total blocks. Essix led the defensive effort at the net, recording three blocks, while Kelley, Beason, Markova and Stucky each added two in the victory.

Elli McKissock controlled the backcourt defense in the libero jersey, tallying 12 digs in the four-setter. Trinity Adams added a career-high nine digs of her own, followed by six apiece from Emily Canaan, Beason and Stucky.

As a squad, the Orange & Blue tallied 11 service aces, led by three from both Canaan and Beason.

The Gators are back in action on Saturday, taking on ETSU and Virginia to close out the Gators Invitational. Florida will face the Buccaneers at 12 p.m., before taking on the Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m.

Records No. 15 Florida (1-0) North Florida (0-1)

How It Happened

* The opening set of the 2022 campaign was a back-and-forth battle, with neither team holding more than a two-point lead until the Ospreys broke up on a 4-0 run to force a Florida timeout at the 11-7 mark. The Gators got back to within three at 14-11, but North Florida extend its lead to six points to force the second UF timeout of the frame at 18-12. A service run by Emily Canaan pulled the Gators back to within three, but UNF created a deficit that UF could not climb out of, claiming the frame 25-20.

* Florida hit .290 in the frame, but couldn't hold the Ospreys below a .300 clip, with North Florida posting a .364 hitting percentage. Kelley and Markova each posted a team-high four kills.

* The second set once again started with the two squads trading points, but with the frame tied 7-all, the Ospreys went on a 4-0 run to take a familiar 11-7 advantage. North Florida pulled ahead by as many as seven at the 17-10 mark, but the Gators chipped away to cut the deficit to knot the second set at 18-18. From that point on, neither team held more than a one-point advantage until Florida went up 24-22 and forced an Osprey timeout. Out of the break, North Florida got one back, but an attack error secured the comeback for Florida.

* The Gators hit .286 in the second set, while holding North Florida to a .188 clip. Markova led the way with five kills, followed by three from Beason.

* With the third set tied 5-5, Beason led the Gators on a 6-0 run behind the service line to give Florida the comfortable 11-5 lead. It was all Florida from that point on, with the Gators taking a seven-point advantage at 20-13. UF cruised to a 25-15 victory to take the 2-1 lead in the match.

* Florida once again won the hitting percentage battle in the third set, coming out on top with the .333 clip. Beason posted a team-high five kills in the frame, followed by three apiece from Essix and Victoria.

* The Gators controlled the tempo from the start in the fourth frame, with Kelley and Stucky combining behind the service line to give Florida the 7-1 lead. UF continued to grow its lead, pulling ahead 10 at the 19-9 mark. UNF got one back, but the Gators went on a 3-0 run to force an Osprey timeout at 22-10. Out of the timeout, Florida closed out the match with a 25-13 victory to secure its 30th season opening win in program history.

* UF hit a stellar .452 in the final frame, with Markova posting a set-high five kills. Kelley and Beason each added four in the set, all while the defense held UNF to a total of six kills.

Notables

* Bre Kelley posted a career-best 11 kills and a personal-best .688 clip in the match

* Trinity Adams recorded a career-high nine digs in the victory

* In her Gator debut, Alexis Stucky posted 36 assists in three sets of action, paired with six digs, two blocks, one kill and one service ace

* In her first match donning the Orange & Blue, Marina Markova led the squad in kills with 16 and posted a .438 clip to go along with two blocks, one ace, one assist and one dig

* In her collegiate debut, Emily Canaan earned the start and posted a team-high three service aces, along with six digs and two assists

* Emerson Hoyle (2 digs) and AC Fitzpatrick (1 kill, 1 dig) each saw their first action in a Gator jersey as well on Friday night

* The Gators have now won 30 season openers in program history

* This is the sixth consecutive season opener UF has won

* Florida moves to 1-0 against the Ospreys in program history

Thoughts from Coach Wise

* "Tonight was such a great learning opportunity for our team because of how well North Florida played. Credit to a team that really played well tonight."

Gators Battle Back; Top Buccaneers in Four Sets

Merritt Beason led the offensive attack with a career-high 17 kills on the afternoon

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The 15th-ranked Florida volleyball team continued its momentum from a night ago, topping the East Tennessee State Buccaneers in four sets on Saturday afternoon.

It took extra points in the first frame, but the Buccaneers claimed the set 26-24 before the Gators bounced back to take the second set 25-17. In familiar fashion, Florida controlled the tempo in the third frame, winning 25-13 before closing out the match with a 25-15 victory.

Merritt Beason led the Florida offense on Saturday afternoon, finishing with a career-high 17 kills on 31 swings for a .484 clip. Bre Kelley followed with eight kills of her own and a .429 hitting percentage, while Sofia Victoria added seven kills of her own on the afternoon.

Alexis Stucky dished out 30 assists in her three sets of action, while Birdie Hendrickson added 10 helpers of her own.

Florida held the Buccaneers to a .067 hitting percentage in the match, the best defensive performance since holding Miami to a .053 clip on Dec. 3, 2021. Essix was a force at the net, tallying a career-high 8.0 blocks, two better than her previous best of 6.0. Kelley added four blocks, while six Gators posted two blocks in the match (Hendrickson, Beason, Fitzpatrick, Stucky, Rhett Robinson, Marina Markova).

Elli McKissock notched her second-straight match with double-digit digs, finishing the afternoon with a team-high 22. Emily Canaan and Trinity Adams each added six digs of their own in the victory.

Beason posted a team-high and career-high four service aces in the match, followed by two apiece from Stucky and McKissock.

The Gators close out the Invitational this evening against the Virginia Cavaliers. First serve is slated for 7:30 p.m. on the SEC Network +.

Records No. 15 Florida (2-0) East Tennessee State (0-2)

How It Happened

* With the first set tied 4-4, the Gators exploded on a six-point run with Trinity Adams behind the service line to force an ETSU timeout at the 10-4 mark. Florida continued to hold the lead out of the break, but the Buccaneers chipped away before taking the 19-17 advantage late in the frame to force a UF timeout. ETSU took as large as a four-point lead at 22-18, but the Gators fought back to tie it at 22-all with McKissock behind the service line. Florida once again had to fight from behind at 24-22, tying it at 24-24, but the Buccaneers closed out the frame on a 2-0 run to claim the first set.

* Florida was led by four kills from Beason in the frame, while Gabrielle Essix and Birdie Hendrickson added two blocks apiece at the net.

* The Gators got out to the early lead in the second set, holding a three-point advantage at the 10-7 mark. The Buccaneers fought back to tie the frame at 14-14, but Florida closed out the set with an 11-3 run, thanks in part to a six-point McKissock service run.

* UF hit .360 in the second set, while holding ETSU to a .074 clip. Victoria tallied a set-high five kills, followed by four apiece from Beason and Kelley.

* With the Gators ahead just one point at the 8-7 mark, Beason strung together an 8-0 service run to give Florida the comfortable nine-point lead. UF continued to build on that momentum, pulling ahead 12 points at 23-11. ETSU cut the deficit by two, but Robinson recorded back-to-back points to take the set 25-13.

* Florida hit a stellar .500 in the third set and held the Buccaneers to a -.074 clip. Beason once again led the pack, tallying four kills to bring her to 12 for the match.

* The fourth set was a tight contest to start with the teams trading points through 4-4. The Gators were then able to create some distance, putting themselves ahead four at 9-5 and held at least a three-point advantage through the rest of the set. UF got up as many as 12 at the 22-14 mark and won the set 25-15 to move to 2-0 on the year.

* Beason led the way with five kills in the fourth set, while Essix posted three blocks in the frame to secure the victory.

Notables

* In her Gator debut, Rhett Robinson posted two blocks and one kill

* Merritt Beason registered a career-high 17 kills and four service aces in the match

* Gabrielle Essix recorded a career-best 8.0 blocks on the afternoon

* Florida moves to 1-0 against the Buccaneers in program history

* The Gators improve to 2-0 in four-set matches during the 2022 campaign

Thoughts from Coach Wise

* "Similar to North Florida from a night ago, ETSU played error free and played very inspired in that first set. Once again, our team this early in the year had another opportunity to learn from it,"


Florida’s Offensive Attack Leads Gators Past Cavaliers

Gators hit .521 to earn sweep over Virginia

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 15 Florida closed out the Gators Invitational with a 3-0 record after sweeping the Virginia Cavaliers in front of a great crowd at Exactech Arena on Saturday night.

The Gators controlled the first set from the jump, winning 25-11 to start the match. Then followed with a decisive 25-7 victory before closing out the match with a 25-18 set three win.

Merritt Beason was named Tournament MVP, while both Marina Markova and Alexis Stucky found themselves on the All-Tournament Team.

The Gators were firing from all cylinders on Saturday evening, hitting an astounding .521 in the match. The last time Florida hit over .500 in a match was March 13, 2021 against Missouri. Markova led the offense with 14 kills, while Beason followed with 12 kills of her own on 17 swings for a .588 hitting percentage.

Bre Kelley also added nine kills on a .538 clip (9-2-13) and Gabrielle Essix posted six kills and a .667 hitting percentage to round out the main scorers for Florida.

Alexis Stucky captained Florida’s offense, dishing out 33 assists in the sweep.

The Gators held Virginia to just a .141 clip on the night and tallied 4.0 blocks at the net, led by two from Essix and Kelley.

Trinity Adams led the backcourt defense for Florida, recording eight digs on the night. Beason followed with six, while McKissock (5) and Kelley (4) combined for nine.

Florida kept its strong serving up this match, totaling 11 services aces behind the line. Stucky led the way with a career-high five, followed by three from Beason and two from Markova.

The Gators are back in action on Tuesday when the Stanford Cardinal comes to town. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. on SEC Network.

Records No. 15 Florida (3-0) Virginia (2-1)

How It Happened

* After trading points to start the first frame, the Gators went on a 5-0 run behind the stellar serves of Markova, taking the 9-4 lead. Florida continued to build on its momentum, holding the Cavaliers at at least a four-point deficit from that point on. Stucky strung together a service run of her own, putting the Gators up 23-9 late in the first and Florida was able to close it out with two kills from outsides Markova and AC Fitzpatrick.

* Florida hit an astounding .571 in the first frame, led by six kills from Markova. Essix added four kills of her own in the first frame, while Beason tallied two in the victory.

* The Gators continued their hot start to the match to begin the second frame, pulling ahead 10-3 before forcing the first Cavaliers timeout of the set. Out of the break, Florida went on a 5-1 run, thanks in part to three service aces from Beason. UF would only allow three more Virginia points the entire frame, winning the second 25-7 on back-to-back aces from Stucky.

* Florida absolutely dominated the second set, hitting .765 while holding Virginia to a .056 clip. Kelley, Beason and Markova each tallied four kills to lead the way offensively.

* The third set was a tighter contest between the two squads, with neither team holding more than a three-point lead until the media timeout when the Gators pulled ahead 15-11. Out of that timeout, the momentum swung even further in Florida’s direction, with the Gators pulling ahead seven points at the 23-16 mark. Virginia attempted to chip away, but Florida held on for the 25-18 victory.

* The Gators hit .357 in the final frame, led by five kills from Beason and four kills from Markova.

Notables

* The Gators hit .521 in the match, the last time they hit over .500 in a match was on March 13, 2021 against Missouri (.513)

* Alexis Stucky posted a career-best five service aces

* Bre Kelley recorded a career-high four digs in the match

* Florida moves to 4-0 against the Cavaliers in program history

* The Gators are now 1-0 in three-set matches during the 2022 campaign

Thoughts from Coach Wise

* “Tonight’s win was a result from some aggressive serving and a very clean offense.”

Up Next

* The Gators continue their home stretch with a Top-15 matchup against the No. 14 Stanford Cardinal on Tuesday

* First serve is slated for 7 p.m. on the SEC Network

* Stanford holds the 8-5 series advantage over the Gators