After losing 3-1 against No. 6 Stanford on Friday night, the Gators took their second game of the AVCA First Serve Tournament at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska. No. 16 Florida (1-1) edged past the No. 3 Pittsburgh Panthers (0-2) 3-2 in a back-and-forth fifth set.
Florida came out of the gate strong with redshirt freshman Kira Hutson securing the first point of the match, but a 7-1 scoring run from Pitt shortly followed, and the Gators failed to bounce back as the Panthers remained in control through set one.
Florida answered in set two, but despite entering set three with momentum, a 6-1 run and four unanswered points snapped the Gators’ momentum and gave Pitt an early lead that they held throughout the set. The Panthers won the set 25-15 to take a 2-1 lead.
Pitt led for a majority of set four but Florida began to climb back, tying the score at 16-apiece. After each team went back and forth, an ace from 2024 SEC Freshman of the Year Jaela Auguste secured a fifth set opportunity for Florida, 26-24.
The Gators capitalized the fifth-set opportunity and finished the match on a 3-0 run.
The Panther’s experience, including last year's National Semifinals appearance in the 2024 NCAA Tournament failed to top Florida’s young roster. The Gators led with 60 kills, 8 aces, 70 digs and a .204 hitting percentage.
The result was telling for Florida, as Pitt could be one of the toughest opponents it will see all season. The Panthers snagged six of the last eight Atlantic Coast Conference titles under renowned 13-year head coach Dan Fisher.
The Panthers roster also includes reigning AVCA National Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year Olivia Babcock. The junior rightside hitter was the biggest challenge for the Gators, racking up 25 kills and three aces. She also reached a career milestone of 1,000 kills during the game.
Pitt middle Bre Kelley, who played for Florida during the 2023 season was held to five kills by her previous team.
Auguste continued working through her connection with All-American redshirt junior setter Alexis Stucky, and Auguste collected nine kills, adding to her four timely service aces.
Stucky also contributed beyond assisting her teammates, recording 11 digs, two kills and five blocks to go with her 44 assists.
Freshman Lily Hayes has emerged as the team's libero and proved to be a stronghold on defense with 21 digs across all five sets. Hutson was the closest behind her with 12 digs. The Aurora, Illinois, native added eight kills and three blocks to her defensive effort.
Redshirt sophomore outside Jordyn Byrd showed her offensive power and led the team in kills for the second consecutive game with 23 kills. She has established herself as Stucky’s go-to offensive force.
The Gators will resume play against PVK Olymp Praha, a professional Czech women's volleyball club, in an exhibition match Tuesday. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
Contact Ava DiCecca at adicecca@alligator.org. Follow her on X @avadicecca24.
