Against the No. 4 Longhorns, the Gators came out firing, but their consistency issue got the best of them again, dropping the next three sets and ceding the match to Texas.
Set one was full of promise as Florida seemed to be doing everything it needed to in order to win the match. Defensively, it held All-American junior outside hitter Torrey Stafford to only four kills -– slightly below her average per set. The Gators also sided out efficiently, refusing to be aced, and outdid the Longhorns from behind the service line.
UF was scrappy on defense and involved its middles, setting up sophomore Jaela Auguste for a dominant 14-kill performance. Taking the set all the way to 31 points, the Gators refused to give up momentum and forfeit their convincing lead.
However, as it often has this season, set two marked the end of their dominance over their opponent and some of their best play all season fizzled out.
One of the biggest components to the loss yet again laid again with Florida’s attacking errors. The Gators doubled up on Texas in attacking errors, ceding more than an entire set's worth of points in just that area, recording 30 in the match. As a team, they were limited to a .164 hitting percentage while the Longhorns hit .324.
As the match progressed, the Gators also struggled to side out and got caught in bad rotations. For much of set one, Florida was in the low 70’s in side out percentage, but ended the match at 57.3%. Throughout their season, the Gators have seen negative results when their side out percentage is below 65%, each of their losses coming in below that benchmark.
While Florida had a plethora of struggles, the bright spot in the match was its middles. Senior Amaya Thomas, sophomore Alec Rothe and Auguste all showed out against the Longhorns, combining for nine blocks and 25 kills, nearly half of the team’s total.
Thomas also recorded no errors and hit .800. Despite her strong performance, she failed to see much time on the court, something that head coach Ryan Theis attributed to substitution rules. With the addition of Thomas to the lineup, freshman opposite Milica Vidacic also didn’t see the court.
With only two matches left until the SEC Tournament in Savannah, Georgia, the Gators have little time left to correct their issues. At 13-9 and 8-5 in conference play with a No. 6 ranked Texas A&M on Wednesday, Florida is not sitting comfortably. Furthermore, the Gators face opponents prepared to exploit some of the biggest weak spots they showed against Texas.
Ole Miss (12-12, 4-9 SEC) boasts a strong group from behind the service line. The Rebels’ junior middle blocker Jordyn Towns and junior outside hitters Gabi Placide and Shayla Meyer all rank in the top five in service aces in the SEC. This will force the Gators to be sharp in serve receive and if Florida can’t efficiently side out, it will be detrimental against the rebels, possibly more so than it affected the match against Texas.
Placide also places second in the SEC in points and third in kills, averaging an impressive 5.40 points per set. The transfer from Northern Colorado has been indispensable for the Rebels all season, and is the major force that Florida will try to limit, putting increased pressure on its defense.
Ole Miss can also sustain itself in the back row, with senior libero Cammy Niesen ranking third in digs in the conference, totaling 389 digs in the season.
Against Texas A&M (20-3, 12-1 SEC), senior middle Ifenna Cos-Okpalla will pose the biggest challenge. She is first in the conference in blocking, challenging Florida’s hitters and possibly forcing more errors. She is also No. 2 in hitting percentage, and Florida’s offense will look to match her in avoiding errors.
Aggies senior setter Maddie Waak also leads the league in assists, boasting an incredibly efficient and versatile offense that Florida will need to be sharp to curb. Texas A&M also recently defeated Texas, proving themselves as a top contender in the conference.
Most concerning for Florida, the Aggies rank second in the SEC in and top 30 in the league in opponent hitting percentage. They consistently force their opponents to make mistakes offensively and, already struggling with attacking errors for much of the season, this should be a focus for Florida going into Wednesday.
The Gators take on Texas A&M at 7 p.m. Wednesday for their last home match before the SEC Tournament.
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).
