A home crowd at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center proved a beneficial contrast to the packed AT&T Stadium the Gators faced in their first action of 2026.
No. 17 Florida (1-0) swept Stony Brook (1-3) in its home opener Sunday afternoon, rebounding from Thursday’s two-set loss against the No. 1 team in the country.
However, even backed by its home crowd, Florida’s win didn't come easy, with Stony Brook keeping each set tight, but the Gators weren't willing to give up. They looked confident from the jump, maintaining a confident lead throughout the first set, not trailing once after their initial 1-0 deficit.
While the Gators were not quite as efficient as they may have hoped on the attacking front, they still held a crucial edge at the net. Halfway through the first set, the Gators held a 13-10 lead and were hitting at a .143 clip – not an impressive number in itself, but compared to the Seawolves’ -.95 clip, it was enough to give them an advantage.
The Seawolves consistently maintained more attacks throughout the first set (30-26), but could not translate them to kills. A 15-13 lead fueled Florida’s takeoff, dictating the tempo and finishing the set triumphantly, 25-16 on a 10-3 run.
Maintaining a similar pace in the second set, Stony Brook consistently trailed Florida, falling further and further behind. Leading 13-9, the Gators led in kills (17-7), digs (21-16) and blocks (10-3), preserving their advantage.
Junior setter Taylor Parks commanded her role again with consistency and reliability. With Florida leading 15-12 in the second set, Parks had 16 of the team’s 18 assists, reinforcing herself as an elite distributor.
Parks is just six assists shy from becoming the 18th Gator to record 1,000 during her career. She commanded the service game as well, recording a team-high five aces. She also recorded seven digs, the second-highest on Florida’s squad Sunday. She trailed only sophomore libero Lily Hayes who anchored the back row with 12 digs.
Kansas transfer outside hitter Selena Leban was an asset for Florida for the second-straight match and came alive in the third set. The Slovenia native led the Gators in kills (nine) and attacks (22).
“When [Leban] gets rolling in flow, it's fun to watch,” head coach Ryan Theis said.
Senior outside hitter Kamryn Chaney also made waves, trailing Leban for kills (six) and attacks (15). For most of the game, Chaney held the team high in kills until Leban cranked up the dial and helped the Gators secure the sweep.
Behind Parks, the team’s offense also flowed through the middle, with junior Alec Rothe and Brooklyn Briscoe racking up six and five kills, respectively. The two also contested well at the net, with Briscoe leading the team in blocks (five) and Rothe recording four.
“Our middle connection was pretty good,” Theis said. “That’s something we've been focusing on.”
Rothe, alongside senior outside hitter Jordyn Byrd, has been recognized as a strong competitor and named to the Preseason All-SEC team.
Byrd led the team in kills last season, but was relatively quiet and inefficient Sunday, recording three kills on a -.077 clip.
Overall, though, Florida was efficient at the net, finishing with a .303 hitting percentage. The crew carries strong momentum into its tough upcoming slate, where they will face three ranked opponents throughout five days in their most grueling stretch of the schedule.
The Gators will travel to Madison, Wisconsin, next for the Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge. Florida will face the No. 14 Minnesota Golden Gophers Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.
Contact Sofia Alamo at salamo@alligator.org. Follow her on X @alamosofiaa.
Contact Nicole Scura at nscura@alligator.org. Follow her on X @NicoleScuraa.
Sofia Alamo is a Sports Journalism freshman at UF and the university’s Women’s Tennis beat reporter. Her favorite sports are soccer and tennis, and she aspires to be a sports broadcaster in the future.
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!).
