Fitzpatrick, Martin lead No. 3 Gators previous Hornets

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The third-ranked Florida volleyball crew remained unbeaten because the crew took down Sacramento State in 5 units on Thursday night time.

The Gators transfer to 5-0 for the seventeenth time in program historical past and the primary for the reason that 2020-21 season.

Sacramento State took the primary set in a good 25-23 battle, however Florida evened the match with a 25-17 victory within the second body. The Gators took the third set in decisive trend with a 25-9 win, however the Hornets pressured a fifth set with a 25-21 victory within the fourth. Florida used a 7-0 begin to declare the fifth body 15-7 and transfer to 5-0 on the 12 months.

The duo of AC Fitzpatrick (18) and Kennedy Martin (17) led the way in which for Florida’s offense with a mixed 35 kills. Fitzpatrick’s 18 kills surpassed her earlier career-high of 17, set on Feb. 6, 2021.

Anna Dixon added 9 kills of her personal with a .429 clip, adopted by seven from Sofia Victoria on the skin.

Alexis Stucky dished out 44 assists within the five-setter, main the crew to a .276 hitting share.

As a squad, the Gators totaled 14.0 blocks on the internet, with Dixon posting a team-high 9. Martin added a career-best eight within the victory, whereas Gabrielle Essix and Stucky every completed the match with three. Florida held Sacramento State to third-lowest hitting share of the 12 months at .138.

Elli McKissock paced the backcourt protection for Florida, recording a season-high 23 digs. Trinity Adams and Stucky every added 9 – placing Stucky one dig shy of her third double-double of the season. Emily Canaan and Martin tallied seven digs apiece to spherical out the performances.

Florida was robust behind the service line, recording 13 aces. Stucky led the way in which with 5 – tying her career-high – whereas Adams additionally tied her career-best mark with 4. McKissock tallied two aces from behind the road, whereas Martin and Dixon every tallied one.

The Gators are again in motion every of the following two days, taking up Clemson on Friday night time and Winthrop on Saturday afternoon. The match towards the Tigers is ready for 7 p.m. on SEC Community, whereas Florida takes on the Eagles at 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Data
No. 3 Florida (5-0) Sacramento State (5-3)

How It Occurred

• Sacramento State grabbed the lead early within the first set, holding at the very least a one-point lead over the Gators all through the center of the body. The Hornets took the five-point benefit on the 19-14 mark, however Florida fought again to inside two at 21-19 to power a Sacramento State timeout. UF got here again to tie the set at 23-all, however the Hornets closed on a 2-0 run to take the body. Martin posted a team-high six kills within the set, adopted by two from Dixon and Fitzpatrick.
• The second set was a good battle from the bounce, however Florida used a 5-1 run to take the 15-11 lead into the media timeout. The Gators continued to develop their lead, taking the seven-point benefit at 23-16 to power the Hornets to make use of their closing timeout of the body. Out of the break, Florida went on to even the match with a 25-17 win within the second. UF hit .424 within the second set, led by six kills apiece from Martin and Fitzpatrick.
• The third set was all Gators, with Florida limiting the Hornets to only single digits. UF began on a 7-0 run behind the serves of McKissock. Sacramento State would pull inside 5 at 11-6, however after a Stucky service run, Florida discovered itself up 20-7. The Hornets received two again, however the Gators closed on a 5-0 run to win the set 25-9. The Gators hit .250 within the third set, whereas holding the Hornets to a -.125 clip. Fitzpatrick led the way in which with 4 kills.
• The groups traded factors all through the fourth set, with the biggest lead being three at 4-1. From that time on, the groups traded factors, with neither holding greater than a one-point margin till the Hornets went forward two on the 19-17 mark. Sacramento State used a 3-1 run to open up the four-point lead at 22-18, however the Gators notched back-to-back scores to drag inside two and power the timeout by the Hornets. Out of the break, Sacramento State outscored Florida 3-1 to power a fifth set. The fourth set noticed 15 tied scores, with Martin and Fitzpatrick every registering three kills within the body.
• Florida received off to the new begin within the fifth set behind the serves of McKissock, taking the 7-0 lead. The Hornets pulled inside 4 on the 9-5 mark, however the Gators closed out on a 6-3 run to stay undefeated within the 2023 marketing campaign. The Gators hit .571 within the body, led by three kills from Fitzpatrick and two from Martin.

Notables

• AC Fitzpatrick posted a career-high 18 kills within the match, surpassing her earlier career-high of 17 (set at Penn State)
• Kennedy Martin registered a career-high eight blocks within the match
• Alexis Stucky tied her career-high with 5 service aces on the night time
• Trinity Adams tied her career-best with 4 service aces on the night time
• With the victory, the Gators transfer to 5-0 for the seventeenth time in program historical past and for the primary time for the reason that 2020-21 season
• Florida improves to 2-0 towards Sacramento State within the all-time collection
• UF strikes to 1-0 towards the Hornets in five-set matches
• Florida improves to 1-0 towards Sacramento State in Gainesville, Fla.
• The Gators are actually 2-0 in five-set matches in the course of the 2023 marketing campaign

Up Subsequent

• The Gators are again in motion every of the following two days, taking up Clemson on Friday night time and Winthrop on Saturday afternoon
• The match towards the Tigers is ready for 7 p.m. on SEC Community
• Florida takes on the Eagles at 3 p.m. on Saturday (no stream)