Upholding a four-game win streak, Florida looked to close its weeklong road stretch undefeated until it faced North Carolina on Tuesday.
Despite the No. 11 Gators carrying momentum heading into their third straight road matchup, the No. 25 Tar Heels proved to be too tough of an opponent.
At the end of a shaky first set for the Gators, redshirt sophomore outside Jordyn Byrd got a massive block to bring the Gators within one. It seemed like the momentum was back with Florida.
However, the Gators were unsuccessful, and their inconsistency throughout the match led to their collapse in just three sets.
Following wins over South Florida and Ohio State, Florida (4-2) was upset in its first regular-season ranked matchup against undefeated North Carolina (5-0), marking the first time UF has lost to the Tar Heels since 1985.
North Carolina boasted a versatile offense that sent the Gators scrambling and often forced Florida out of system. Junior outside Safi Hampton was an offensive force for the Tar Heels, recording 11 kills, and junior right side Hailey Pearce followed her with 10. Overall, Florida struggled to contain the duo.
UF was plagued with unforced errors, including 11 service errors and 19 attacking errors. In the second set, the Gators had six attacking errors and a .219 hitting percentage, compared to North Carolina’s one attacking error on .419 hitting efficiency.
The disparity from behind the line continued as Florida only managed one service ace to combat North Carolina’s five. Florida’s service issues persisted throughout the night, potentially posing a weakness as the Gators head toward a challenging stretch against several ranked opponents.
Nonetheless, Florida was led by its go-to pin hitter, Byrd, who logged 10 kills. Redshirt sophomore outside Aniya Madkin was close behind with eight. Madkin has emerged as a strong and reliable player for Florida, leading the team in kills against South Florida with 10 and logging 11 against Ohio State.
UF sophomore middles Jaela Auguste and Alec Rothe also each tallied seven kills and combined for 11 blocks.
Florida has found the most success when it utilizes its middles, a pattern that has been evident so far this season. However, the Gators were unable to do this consistently against the Tar Heels, which contributed to their loss.
Additionally, Florida trailed by as many as 11 points throughout the match, seeing its biggest deficit in the second set. Despite competitive and dominant moments, UF faced a consistent Tar Heels team that rarely wavered through all three sets.
Florida will return home to face No. 20 Baylor (5-1) Sunday at 1 p.m.
Contact Ava DiCecca at adicecca@alligator.org. Follow her on X @avadicecca24.
Ava is a sophomore sports journalism student and the volleyball beat reporter for fall 2025. She enjoys playing basketball and volleyball in her free time and going on beach trips with friends. She has been a Boston sports fan all her life (Brad Marchand we miss you).
