With an animated home crowd pumping noise into the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Florida finished victorious in its second conference matchup of the season behind junior opposite hitter Logan King’s season-high 15 kills.
The No. 7 Gators (11-1, 2-0 SEC) ultimately swept No. 11 Tennessee (9-3, 0-2 SEC) on Friday for their eighth shutout win of the season.
Charging up her swing and remaining dominant, King led Florida in kills and recorded seven digs, five blocks and three assists.
Her powerful swing proved not only advantageous for kills, but also for serves. King paced the Gators with three service aces, but her talent didn’t stop there. She logged multiple crucial passes that set Florida’s offense up for success in its dominant victory.
“What goes undetected in the stat book is just passing,” head coach Ryan Theis said. “She’s one of a very few right sides in the country that passes multiple rotations, and she passed great.”
Coming off a hot game against Oklahoma, junior middle blocker Alec Rothe was able to remain vigorous on the attack once again — this time, helping to close out the SEC home-opener.
She had a formidable task against her, with junior middle blocker Chelsea Sutton at the net for the Volunteers. Sutton entered the match with 36 blocks on the season, tallying five more than Rothe.
However, Rothe is just as merciless on the attack as when defending the net. Channeling her jack-of-all-trades ability, Rothe entered the contest with 121 points this season, while Sutton had notched 64. And with that malleability, Rothe lived up to her title as a consistent asset. Rothe had eight kills and a .500 hitting percentage on the night.
But Sutton wasn’t the only threat the Gators had to be on the lookout for.
Tennessee’s sophomore outside hitter Kennedi Rogers entered the SEC battle with a team-high 151.5 points posted, equivalent to Florida’s team-high held by senior outside hitter Kamryn Chaney.
Last week, Rogers earned her fourth double-double of the year, a team-high in kills (16) and her career-high digs (12) against then-No. 7 Texas. Against now-No. 7 Florida, that magic touch carried her to a joint-match-high 15 kills, alongside King.
In the first set, Rothe maintained a .571 hitting percentage and tallied five kills, two digs and a block. For Rothe, every effortless swing was followed by a smile as she pummeled away to lead UF to a 19-14 advantage.
The team ran away with the set from there as she followed with another kill. Tennessee attempted to collect themselves in a timeout, and came back from it with a three-point run.
Florida answered with a timeout of its own. Unrattled by the Volunteers, King opened back up with a kill for the Gators. However, Tennessee kept it close in the final few points.
It wasn’t until Chaney put away a kill, assisted by junior setter Taylor Parks, that Florida clinched the first set.
Parks finished the evening contest with 31 assists. She not only serves as a leader on the team, but as a dependable setter, accurately placing the ball in the right position for her teammates to attack.
The Gators held onto that momentum in the second set, finishing with a 25-18 win. Moreover, King settled into her power and came alive. In the second set, with eight kills, she surpassed Chaney (seven) and Rothe (five), who were leading the team in kills in the first set. All three players lead the team in kills and have stepped up to the plate at one point or another this season when it has mattered most.
A kill by King made it 16-12 and gave Florida ammunition to take off on a four-point run. They maintained their advantage even as Tennessee tried to claw back. Ultimately, the Gators continued to play the court, profiting off an attack error for Tennessee to seal the second set.
King labeled herself as a key contributor to Florida’s win against the Volunteers. The Toronto native shined in the backcourt, quickly stimulating success. King said her success was generated alongside Parks and the fans. She also saw several strengths from the trial for the Gators to carry into their next match.
“Our ability to bounce back, our ability to side out, that’s huge,” King said. “Tennessee had some huge punches against us, and I think it was really important for us to regroup.”
Overall, the final set proved to be the closest of the match. Both teams applied point-for-point pressure, hoping to prevail in the third.
But the effort from Tennessee came too late. A final serve by King tied a bow on her notable night. The Vols received it with a bad set and sealed their fate, falling to the No. 7-ranked team for its second week in a row. Further, the Gators’ ability to place the ball in their competitor’s undefended territory has been a major advantage.
“Kentucky’s really good,” Theis said. “I mean, they bring it from every zone along the mat. They ball handle, they serve it and there’s a reason they are where they are statistically ranking-wise, SEC champions how many times in a row, so we’re gonna have our hands full Sunday night.”
Florida will remain at home to take on No. 3 Kentucky (11-2) on Sunday. First serve is at 8:30 p.m. in the O’Dome.
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!).
