Head coach Ryan Theis’ first season with the Florida Gators officially came to an end in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Florida (16-12) fell to Southern Methodist University (27-5) in three sets Saturday night in Dallas, Texas. The Mustangs completely dominated the Gators and advanced to their first Sweet 16 in program history.
From its first swing, SMU made it clear it would be dangerous for the Gators. The Mustangs went errorless through the first set on the attacking front, hitting an impressive .483 to Florida’s .028. Florida committed nine attacking errors on 10 swings.
Many of the Gators’ attacking deficiencies came from the strength and consistency of SMU’s block. The Mustangs recorded five blocks in the first set, while Florida failed to stifle any of their opponent’s swings.
All of SMU’s dominance at the net was backed by solid defense. It sided out at 83.3% and made securing kills a tall task for the Gators. Despite a scrappy performance from senior defensive specialist Emily Canaan, who logged 10 digs in her last match as a Gator, Florida’s defense lagged behind.
As a unit, Florida found more success in set two, but ultimately blew its four-point 16-12 lead and couldn’t fully recover. It wasn’t until the third set that the Gators started playing their best volleyball.
They began to contest swings at the net, and setter Alexis Stucky started to connect better with her hitters. Sophomore Jaela Auguste and redshirt sophomore Aniya Madkin came alive, grabbing 12 and 11 kills, respectively, with Auguste adding two of Florida’s four total blocks. While not her strongest match of the season, outside hitter Jordyn Byrd still led with 14 kills, as she has for most of the year.
However, the Gators met a similar fate as in set two. They blew a 17-13 lead with SMU coming back to tie the set at 20. They remained in the set and were the first to match point, but the Mustangs took the set 26-24.
SMU’s freshman outside hitter Kennedi Rogers and opposite hitter Malaya Jones dominated the pins. They combined for 27 kills and 10 blocks, constantly challenging the Gators in every aspect of their game.
SMU finished the match with only seven attacking errors to Florida’s 25, more than doubling its efficiency. It hit .370 and held Florida to .156. Defensively, it tallied 15 blocks, the most relentless wall the Gators have encountered all season.
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).
