Florida entered Wednesday’s matchup with Jacksonville University as one of the hottest teams in college volleyball. And facing their last opponent before conference play, the Gators capitalized on the chance to get even hotter and secure their last non-conference victory before a rigorous SEC slate begins.
Anchored by junior setter Taylor Parks’ 30 assists, No. 8 Florida (9-1) swept the Dolphins (6-7) at home Wednesday to remain undefeated against JU and extend its win streak to seven matches.
The Gators came into the match as one of the strongest teams in the SEC defensively, leading the conference in blocks per set (2.84) and ranking second in opponent hitting percentage (.161).
Their defensive prowess shined again in Wednesday night’s affair.
Junior middle blocker Alec Rothe contended with senior middle blocker Brooklyn Briscoe to hold down the fort. At the net, Rothe (43) and Briscoe (26) hold the team-highs in blocks, and Rothe added five to her total while Briscoe added four in Wednesday’s showdown.
Junior opposite hitter Logan King – who was named SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week for her performance against Florida State – powered her swing again against the Dolphins, posting seven kills.
“I thought she came on the second a little tentative and a little uncomfortable, but she’s not used to coming off the bench much,” head coach Ryan Theis said. “But then I thought she settled in and played really well [in the] second half of two and three.”
Tallying a career-high seven blocks and seven digs against the Seminoles, King entered Wednesday’s match on a high and kept that momentum going.
While King found her groove, Florida was able to stay steady and controlled with the notable efforts of senior outside hitter Kamryn Chaney.
The Vanderbilt transfer recorded six kills and maintained a .364 hitting percentage in the first set. She also secured the first set for the Gators with a kill, assisted by Parks. Chaney holds the team-high this season in kills (113) while Parks leads the team with 335 assists on this season. She added another 30 assists and five kills to her stat line on Wednesday.
“She’s our leader,” Theis said. “She kind of runs the show, and her and Lily [Hayes] do a really good job of handling first and second touches, and their job is to make other people look good, and they’re good at it.”
The Clearwater native serves as a key leader for the team, spearheading the offense.
“This year we have been making our offense a lot more creative,” Parks said. “We have threats on all parts of the court, we have so many amazing hitters, so it’s a very spread out offense. We’re not going to the same person every single time, and one-dimensional in that way.”
Despite the balanced offense, Parks connected with one hitter more frequently than the rest. Much like her first set, Chaney logged six kills and a .364 hitting percentage in the second frame. She notched three more in the third and finished the match with a team-high nine.
Even with her contributions, though, the Dolphins held on in each set. In the second, neither team was able to command the tempo as the score was tied 15 times in the set. It was back and forth until the final point, but outside hitter Jordyn Byrd sealed the 25-21 win with a kill.
After another slow start in the third, Florida refused to have a close call yet again. It was able to find its rhythm and pull ahead with the help of seven service aces in the frame.
The Dolphins loosened their grip with the service pressure and were unable to sustain control in The Swamp, falling 25-13 in the final set.
Florida heads back on the road to take on the Sooners on Friday. First serve is at 3 p.m in Norman, Oklahoma.
Contact Nicole Scura at nscura@alligator.org. Follow her on X @NicoleScuraa.
Nicole Scura is a junior journalism student in her third semester at The Alligator. She is currently a volleyball beat reporter and previously served as hockey beat and enterprise reporters. In her free time she enjoys figure skating, traveling and watching football (Go Bucs!).
