With Florida volleyball preparing for the 2026 season, the team has the chance to prove the program can still thrive without longtime head coach Mary Wise, who departed the program after the 2024 season.
In 2025, the Gators saw their worst season in over three decades, going 16-12 overall and 9-6 in the SEC, leaving massive room for growth under head coach Ryan Theis. That said, Florida’s roster looks different this year, leaving fans wondering how this season will pan out.
Florida volleyball loses a major asset with setter Alexis Stucky transferring to Penn State University for her fifth and final season. An absolute machine on the court, Stucky recorded a total of 1,062 assists in the 2025 season.
However, this loss leaves more room for rising junior setter Taylor Parks to step up and once again be a weapon for Florida. Last season, Parks recorded the second-highest number of assists (111) behind Stucky despite seeing limited court time.
Parks has proven capable as the team’s go-to setter, starting 18 matches in her rookie campaign with Stucky sidelined due to injury. She shined despite her lack of collegiate experience and was named to the 2024 SEC All-Freshman Team. Parks also competed in the 2025 NORCECA Women’s U21 Pan American Cup, helping Team USA secure gold, recording 10 service aces and 36 setting attempts in the final. It’s this level of effort and consistency that Florida needs this year.
Additionally, with rising sophomore opposite hitter Milica Vidačić coming off a solid freshman season, the 6-foot-4 Serbia native could strengthen Florida’s right-side attack. If Florida goes with Parks in a 5-1 rotation – where just one setter is on the court, leaving three attackers in the front row when they are in the back – she will be especially crucial and see a lot more opportunities. Not only would this allow Parks to become a dominant leader and give her more options on where to set the ball, it would give Vidačić the chance to sync with Parks’ timing, creating a reliable offensive strategy.
Vidačić showed great promise for the Gators, appearing in 26/28 of the 2025 season’s matches. She recorded double-digit kills 12 times and earned a spot on the 2025 SEC All-Freshman Team.
Aside from what shows on the stat sheet, Vidačić was also crucial in crunch time. Just one example came last season against the Missouri Tigers on Oct. 10, when the freshman opposite hitter logged four kills in the final nine points of the match to clinch a four-set win for her team.
If Parks consistently puts Vidačić in a position to hammer away kills, the Gators could have defenses scrambling next season.
Nevertheless, Stucky is not the only stinging loss.
Rising junior middle blocker Jaela Auguste made a move to the Wisconsin Badgers amidst her sophomore season.
The 2024 SEC Freshman of the Year was critical to Florida’s success. Auguste finished the season with the second-most points (378.5), and she also ranked second in kills (291) and service aces (27).
Without Auguste commanding the middle, rising senior middle blocker Alec Rothe has the opportunity to take center stage.
Last season, the Ohio native started in all 28 matches, held the team-high blocks (111), ranked third in points (268), fourth in kills (206) and led Florida in hitting percentage seven times.
If Rothe can stay hot and reliable, she will provide a pivotal defensive advantage for Florida.
UF will also have to combat the loss of its three strongest servers. In 2025, rising redshirt sophomore Ella Vogel led the team in ace serves (29) with Auguste (27) and Stucky (22) right behind her.
With their departures, the team will have to focus on strengthening their serves to avoid racking up costly unforced errors.
Other major losses hit UF’s back row.
Senior defensive specialist Emily Canaan graduated in the Spring and served as a veteran presence for the team. Playing with Florida for all four years, Canaan consistently put up numbers, including this past season where she finished with double-digit digs six times.
Now, we can expect rising sophomore Lily Hayes to command her position as libero for the backcourt.
Hayes, the first true freshman to open a season with the Gators as a libero since Elyse Cusack in 2006, made a memorable impact last year, recording 391 digs (the team high and fourth most by a freshman in UF history). As the first new libero UF has seen in five years, following Elli McKissock’s presence from 2020-24, she ranked ninth in the SEC with her team-leading 3.62 digs per set and proved she is talented at covering the court.
Turning kills into playable balls boosts the offense’s chance to attack and produce kills of its own. More scoring opportunities could elevate Florida’s play and lead to more successful outcomes.
This Summer, Hayes competed with Team USA in the NORCECA Women’s U21 Pan American Cup, winning gold. In the final match, Hayes solidified the backcourt with team-lead in digs (6) and receptions (7).
Hayes’ return is not the only one that should give Florida some confidence heading into the season. The Gators have a few familiar faces returning this year, providing UF with critical powerhouses to use to their advantage.
A major edge for Florida comes from rising redshirt junior outside hitter Jordyn Byrd.
Defining Byrd as a crucial component to the team would be an understatement. In the 2025 season, Byrd led the Gators in kills (425) and points (457.5), undoubtedly becoming the team’s strongest attacker as their top hitter on the outside.
With her return, the team holds a force on the court and a dominant game-changing presence.
Behind Byrd on the outside, rising redshirt junior Aniya Madkin also posed a constant threat at the net. Last season, Madkin put up 246 kills, the third most on the team, and averaged 2.8 kills – second only to Byrd (3.97).
Rising redshirt sophomore opposite hitter Kira Hutson will make her return as well. In 2025, she was a solid and versatile component for the Gators all around, but has room for improvement offensively.
She also has the opportunity to step up and command when it comes to serving. With the top three servers from 2025 out of the Gators’ roster, Hutson holds the fourth-highest number of served aces (17). This gives her the chance to shine and help the team generate points by preventing the opposition from having opportunities to control the ball.
New additions to Florida’s roster include rising sophomore opposite hitter Selena Leban, who had a solid first year at Kansas, as well as rising sophomore middle blocker Brianna Holladay, who came from Virginia Tech.
A Slovenia native, Leban ranked fifth last season for Kansas in kills (147), recorded 15 service aces and ranked fourth on the team in digs per set (1.88). For Virginia Tech, Holladay ranked second in block assists (98) and total blocks (108). Both players have the potential to make waves and could prove to be valuable acquisitions.
Overall, with Florida’s roster brimming with potential, it would be quite disappointing to see a repeat lackluster season.
The standard for Florida volleyball is set, and fans have reason to expect the team to bounce back. The question is: Can the Gators strategically use their on-court weapons to unleash a championship-caliber team?
Contact Nicole Scura at nscura@alligator.org. Follow her on X @NicoleScuraa.
Nicole Scura is a third-year journalism student in her second semester at The Alligator. She is currently a sports enterprise reporter and previously served as a hockey reporter. In her free time, she enjoys figure skating, traveling and watching football (Go Bucs!).
