The Gators were on the hunt for their fifth straight win when the Troy Trojans came to Gainesville on Sunday to cap off a three-match homestand. And with the help of junior middle blocker Alec Rothe, they sealed the deal not only on the win, but on their fifth sweep of the season.
In its first-ever faceoff against the Trojans, No. 10 Florida (7-1) silenced Troy (2-4) in an at-home sweep on Sunday.
Rothe has been an extremely dominant force for the Gators dating back to their 2025 campaign. Against Troy, though, she took it to another level, logging 10 kills on 11 swings, six blocks and registering a UF record-breaking .909 hitting percentage.
“If you’re 10 out of 11, that’s as close to automatic as you can get,” head coach Ryan Theis said.
Overall, the Gators performed strongly on the hitting front, maintaining a .489 hitting percentage while the Trojans logged a .204 percentage.
Despite Florida’s early advantage on the attack, the first set looked evenly paced.
However, the combination of Rothe and senior middle blocker Brooklyn Briscoe was enough for the Gators to maintain the edge. Briscoe shut out the first set for Florida with a kill, and she commanded the middle well with Rothe, adding11 kills on a .714 hitting clip.
In the second set, it was transfer outside hitter Kamryn Chaney who set the tone, opening the second set with another kill. But this time, Florida took off and never looked back. The Gators found their rhythm and remained in control of the tempo.
Troy, letting the first set disorganize it, slipped further and further away from clawing back despite cutting down on its attacking errors.
Florida did not let the second set remain as close, taking advantage of a Troy service error and finishing the second set 25-14.
In the third set, Troy began with the upper hand – grounded by a kill from junior outside hitter Kalina Calvillo. Calvillo sits at third in the conference for points per set (4.69) and fourth in aces per set (0.69).
But Rothe did not let that last. She answered back with a kill assisted by junior setter Taylor Parks to get Florida rolling. Against the Trojans, Parks recorded a few kills of her own (four) as well as 36 assists.
As the third set progressed, Troy was able to collect itself to slow Florida’s tempo. But its efforts came too late. Junior opposite hitter Logan King had her hand in the five-point run that sealed the deal for Florida. Her kill and four strong serves followed to set the tone for Florida to sprint ahead 19-12. Parks put the set away from behind the service line, clinching the 25-16 win for the Gators.
Sophomore middle blocker Brianna Holladay, nicknamed “Christmas,” saw her first action on the court this season and pummeled away a kill for the Gators.
Junior outside hitter Madi Gravlee and junior outside hitter Lauren Harden also appeared in their first matches of the season, each logging a kill of their own.
In Friday’s contest against FAU, senior outside hitter Jordyn Byrd came to life after a hushed start to the season. However, she fell quiet again against the Trojans, logging four kills. Byrd has not been able to find her stride yet in the rotation.
Sophomore libero Lily Hayes anchored the defense yet again, recording 14 digs and three assists in the battle of Troy.
The Gators finished out sharp with seven wins now under their belt.
“One thing Ryan talks about is our most important game is our next game,” Rothe said. “So our focus can’t change, our presence of how we approach games cannot change. We have to continue to be focused, continue to focus on the next opponent and take it one game at a time.”
Florida hits the road again to take on the Seminoles on Friday. First serve is at 7 p.m in Tallahassee.
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!).
