An earlier version of this story misrepresented Aniya Madkin’s performance. The headline and story were revised to account for Madkin’s season high in kills, not career high.
With the match tied 1-1, Florida and Baylor went blow-for-blow. The deciding factor that put Florida over its opponent was sophomore outside hitter Aniya Madkin, logging a career high of 15 kills.
The third set was tied 24-24, Madkin took it as an opportunity to show her team that it could go the distance. With a ball from junior setter Alexis Stucky heading her way, Madkin sent the ball flying and scored the point.
The Gators (4-2) would go on to defeat the Bears (5-2) 27-25 in the fifth set and ultimately win the match 3-2. Florida faced off against their first ranked opponent at home in the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Sunday afternoon.
“She has the ability to score and that’s not easy against big, physical teams,” said Florida head coach Ryan Theis.
Madkin’s performance embodied grit more than perfection, swinging a team-high of 50 times, committing eight errors, but earning a career high of 15 kills. After the game, the sophomore said she is excited for more to come.
“They played a great game,” she said. “But as a team, we just out teamed them.”
The Gators’ offense was unyielding throughout the match and the Bears couldn’t keep up. Despite having weapons like graduate middle blocker Gabrielle Essix, who transferred from Florida after four years with the program, and junior middle blocker Manuela Bibinbe in their arsenal, errors overcame them.
Baylor finished with 29 attack errors and 13 service errors, ending with a .231 hitting percentage. Comparatively, Florida logged22 attack errors, 10 service errors and a .250 hitting percentage.
Gators sophomore middle blocker Jaela Auguste and sophomore outside hitter Jordyn Byrd stood out throughout the match.
Byrd’s dominance on offense has been a constant in the six matches in 2025. On Sunday, she logged 21 kills on an impressive .459 hitting percentage. Auguste added 13 kills at a lofty .688 rate, giving Florida multiple reliable scoring options alongside Madkin.
Florida also controlled the service line, out-acing Baylor 10–2 and keeping the Bears under constant pressure in serve receiving. Baylor still forced the match to a decisive fifth set after pulling out a 25–22 win in the fourth, but the Gators never let up.
They jumped ahead early in the 15-point frame and held steady, closing out the match 15–9. The victory not only secured Florida’s first win over a ranked opponent this season but also gave the young roster valuable momentum heading into SEC play.
The Gators will look to build on that confidence Friday when they face head coach Ryan Theis’ alma mater, Marquette (4-2), at 7 p.m. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Contact Isis Snow at isnow@alligator.org. Follow her on X @isis_snoww.
Isis is a junior sports journalism student and is the volleyball beat reporter for fall 2025. This is her third semester with The Alligator. She enjoys reading, playing basketball and weight lifting in her free time.
