The Gators were riding high following nine straight sweeps and 13 consecutive wins entering the weekend.
Both streaks came to a halt as Florida’s offense struggled.
No. 18 Missouri, one of two undefeated teams in the nation, defeated No. 2 Florida in four sets, declaring that the Southeastern Conference is still up for grabs.
“Sunday’s match was a terrific environment for volleyball,” coach Mary Wise said.
“They had a great crowd, and this Missouri team, with all of the experience they returned last year and their young players, played terrific against us.
“It was a high-level volleyball match. Those first three sets couldn’t get any closer. I just felt that Missouri made a few more plays and they were the better team.”
Florida’s performance during the weekend — which also included a four-set win against Arkansas — was uncharacteristic of the way the team has played the entire season.
Heading into the road matches, Florida ranked second in the nation in both hitting percentage at (.336) and kills per set at (15.17).
But that offense all but disappeared when UF visited Fayetteville, Ark., and Columbia, Mo. In Friday’s match against the Razorbacks, the Gators hit just .237.
Sunday’s outing was much of the same as Florida only hit .237, and Missouri recorded 9.5 blocks.
“We’ve always said you learn more from a loss than you do from a win,” Wise said. “All credit has to go to how well Missouri played.”
The players who have carried the team offensively for much of the season were a virtual no-show during the weekend.
Outside hitter Gabby Mallette has been one of UF’s most consistent players this season, but the sophomore hit just .192 against Arkansas and .059 against Missouri.
The same can be said for senior middle blocker Chloe Mann.
Mann has been unstoppable in almost every match, but she also failed to get anything going, hitting just .231 against the Tigers.
Despite the strong play the Gators have had from their young players, the key to pushing them over the edge will be if sophomore outside hitter Ziva Recek can return to the level of play she showed during her freshman year.
Recek has failed to make much of an impact so far this season.
She was second on the team in kills with 15 against Missouri but was second worst in hitting percentage with a .120 clip on 50 attempts.
Florida (18-2, 7-1 SEC), which entered the weekend undefeated in conference play, is now one game behind Missouri (23-0, 7-0) in the loss column with 10 matches remaining during regular season play.
Follow RJ Schaffer on Twitter @rjschaffer.
Gabby Mallette blocks the ball during UF’s win against Texas A&M on Oct. 4 in the O’Connell Center.
