For its first conference match of the 2026 season, Florida overcame the pressure of notching an eight-match win streak. The Gators maintained control for most of the afternoon, not allowing the Sooners to take over on their home court, despite boasting a 3-1 record in Norman.
The No. 8 Gators (10-1, 1-0 SEC) dominated all three sets against Oklahoma (7-3, 0-1) to notch a victory over the Sooners.
Florida’s Alec Rothe came into her own, adding 12 kills in the match. The middle blocker was the Gators’ closer, finishing out the first set with a block and the second and third set with a kill.
Florida’s service errors extended the opening set, but it was the Gators who pulled ahead in the final stretch. Florida went on an 8-4 run to close out the first frame after struggling from the line early. .The Gators didn't let the misfires define the set, building momentum at 19-17 to obtain a two-point lead over the Sooners. Oklahoma’s five errors in the latter part of the first allowed the Gators to capitalize and take the ever-so-pertinent set.
The Gators came out hot in the following set, leading 8-5 after King recorded her fourth kill of the afternoon. But the Sooners turned it around halfway through the frame after a massive kill from Carley Butler to tie the game at 14-14.
Oklahoma kept the score close, feeding off Florida's three errors and Alaleh’s Tolliver’s two kills. But that didn't last long, with the last tie being at 19-19. An aggressive kill to the middle from Kamryn Chaney gave Florida a two-point lead at 21-19, and in the next play, she did it again.
Recording a cross-court kill at 23-21, Chaney proved Florida could rely on her, as they have done throughout the season. She led the set with a team-high six kills. To seal the win in the second, a block from Rothe brought Florida to 25-22 and on the brink of an SEC-opener victory.
The third set showed the Gators could keep their energy high through a conference match. At 8-7, Chaney recorded her 13th kill of the afternoon to pull Florida ahead. After Logan King joined the party, Florida had built its largest gap of the match at 16-10.
Thanks to Chaney’s late-match heroics and Rothe’s consistency, the Gators took the third set, 25-19, and took care of business in Norman for its first conference win of the year.
The Gators host No. 13 Tennessee (9-2, 0-1) Friday. First serve from the Stephen C. O’Connell Center is set for 7 p.m. as Florida looks to secure a nine-match win streak and its first victory against a ranked opponent since Sept. 5.
Contact Sofia Alamo at salamo@alligator.org. Follow her on X at @alamosofiaa.
Sofia Alamo is a sophomore sports journalism student in her fourth semester at The Alligator. She is the volleyball beat reporter. She enjoys spending time with family and watching sports with friends.
