Set three proved to be a see-saw battle but the Gators couldn’t give up.
Senior outside hitter AC Fitzpatrick brought Florida to set point, 24-22. Ready to secure the win, freshman outside hitter Kennedy Martin served the ball but the Bulldogs met her with a strong kill.
The Gators thought they could still win it, but Fitzpatrick’s following attack error forfeited Florida’s lead. Fitzpatrick did her best to turn the set into a UF win, but failed to cover for UF’s error-filled offense.
Florida’s lack of swift defense plagued them when Bulldogs senior outside hitter Karli Schmidt wrapped the set up with two MSU kills and clinched the third set victory 27-25 and match advantage.
The No. 14 Florida Gators (12-4, 4-3 SEC) fell to the Mississippi State Bulldogs 3-1 (9-8, 2-5 SEC) in Starkville, Mississippi, Friday evening. The loss ends the Gators’ five-game road winning streak.
Junior middle blocker Gabrielle Essix kicked off set one with a slide kill. The Gators were ahead 6-4, but their advantage slipped away after an attack error from senior outside hitter Sofia Victoria.
The Bulldogs took a lead Florida failed to recover from after an eleven-point scoring streak.
UF tried to climb back slowly after Fitzpatrick hit her first kill of the night, but Florida's lacking offense fell short of MSU’s tight defense.
Senior libero Elli McKissock stalled the Bulldogs’ set point with a kill toward MSU, but in the final rally, outside hitter Karli Schmidt hit a kill and claimed MSU’s 25-18 win.
UF bounced back from its rough start in set two. The round started with a number of kills from both sides, but Fitzpatrick’s fierce hit kept the Gators’ lead to 5-3. UF fell behind when it answered Mississippi State’s back-to-back service aces with reception errors.
Essix and Fitzpatrick fought to reclaim the set when they deflected a Bulldog serve with a dual block assist and forced a block error. Florida stole the lead when Fitzpatrick hit four consecutive service aces to make the score 20-15.
Gators sophomore middle blocker Amaya Thomas brought UF to set point when she forced a Bulldogs’ attack error with a strong front-row block. Martin secured the 25-20 set two Gator victory with a final kill assisted by graduate student setter Kennedy Muff.
The Bulldogs started set three with a 4-0 scoring streak, but Martin quickly put an end to their momentum with her 10th kill of the night. Muff tied the game at 10 apiece with an untouched service ace and kept Florida alive.
Schmidt attempted to spike the ball but instead awarded UF a 17-16 lead when she caused an attack error. The Gators were headed toward a set victory, but Mississippi State hit two kills and tied the match 22-apiece.
The final rallies were a back-and-forth with four total set points. Fitzpatrick fought to secure the win with a kill, but her following attack error tied the match at 24. Schmidt wrapped the set up with two MSU kills and clinched the third set victory 27-25 and match advantage.
UF attempted to stay ahead in the fourth set. The Gators couldn’t block the Bulldogs’ constant kills and found themselves down by three in the opening moments. Senior middle blocker Nnedi Okammor’s kill tied the match at 10 and triggered the offense to take the lead 13-11.
Florida struggled to hold a solid lead as almost every kill was followed by an error. Victoria reclaimed the Gator lead with a kill but then committed an attack error in the next play to tie the score 16-16.
Bulldogs redshirt junior opposite hitter Amina Shackelford hit a service error and forced a reception error on McKissock. Florida tried to climb back from their four-point deficit, but an attack error and strong Mississippi State kills called set four a 25-21 Gator loss.
The Florida Gators will play the Texas A&M Aggies for the second time this season in College Station, Texas, at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
Contact Krisha Sanghavi at ksanghavi@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @krishasang.
Krisha Sanghavi is a third-year public relations and economics major. In her free time, she loves cheering on Miami sports teams and spending time with her friends.
