In the first SEC Volleyball Tournament since 2005, No. 5 Florida entered in the second round as the reigning champions and made a statement.
The Gators secured their first win in three sets against No. 12 Alabama (14-13, 5-11 SEC) to advance to the Quarterfinals. Florida (15-10, 10-6 SEC) grabbed their second win over the Crimson Tide this season and dominated them on the offensive front.
UF is no stranger to success in the SEC Volleyball Tournament. It has won seven of the last eight SEC Volleyball tournaments from 1998-2005 and 12 of the last 14.
Most recently, in 2005, Florida topped Alabama in the finals. Coming off of a first-round bye, the Gators were unrelenting as they prepared for the Crimson Tide again.
Florida executed its most dominant set of the season in set two, topping Alabama 25-6. The Gators cut down on unforced errors, recording only three attacking errors and one service error in the set. Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide recorded only two kills and added eight errors, hitting in the negatives.
Both sets one and three were a little more evenly matched with Florida finishing each with a narrow 25-23 win. In each of those sets, Florida recorded more unforced errors both behind the service line and on the attacking front. However, they were consistently the more dominant team.
The Gators outperformed the Crimson Tide nearly across the board. They held Alabama to a .086 hitting percentage and doubled up on their opponents in kills, charting 51 against its 25. They hit .327, one of their most efficient offensive performances so far, and were also solid defensively. They logged a 67.9% side out percentage and recorded 52 digs against Alabama’s 37. They faltered only on service errors, committing nine in the match.
Defensively, Florida was bolstered by redshirt freshman defensive specialist Ella Vogel. She led the team convincingly with 14 digs. On the blocking front, sophomore Alec Rothe paved the way for Florida, adding a team-leading five blocks to her seven kills.
Florida’s stellar offensive performance was captained by redshirt sophomore Jordyn Byrd. The outside hitter recorded 18 kills hitting at .361 and added three blocks. She has her best performance of the season against Alabama in the pair’s first meeting this season, recording a career-high 24 kills.
Behind her, sophomore Jaela Auguste added 10 kills at a .471 clip and outside hitter Aniya Madkin added eight.
Alabama junior Kaleigh Palmer led the Crimson Tide offensively with six kills. The Gators held Alabama’s major offensive force, graduate student Victoria Barrett, to just five kills and a .033 clip. Barrett charted 23 kills Friday against South Carolina in round one, so Florida’s limitation of her impact proved crucial.
Florida will face No. 4 Tennessee at 2 p.m. Sunday in the third round of the SEC Tournament in Savannah, Georgia. The Gators upset Tennessee (19-6, 10-5 SEC) in their meeting during the regular season.
Contact Ava DiCecca at adicecca@alligator.org. Follow her on X @avadicecca24.
Ava is a sophomore sports journalism student and the volleyball beat reporter for fall 2025. She enjoys playing basketball and volleyball in her free time and going on beach trips with friends. She has been a Boston sports fan all her life (Brad Marchand we miss you).
