GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A Saturday evening Sunshine State Showdown as the UCF volleyball team took the trip to No. 20 Florida but fell short in a 3-1 battle inside the Stephen C. O’ Connell Center.
The Knights (9-16, 2-13 Big 12) recorded nine blocks as the Gators (21-5, 11-3 SEC) led the match with 61 kills, 65 digs and 12 aces.
Avah Armour took the charge for the Black and Gold tallying 15 kills. Alexia Kuehl and Emily Wilson joined Armour with double digits in kills marking 14 and 10, respectively. Chloe Scheer and Katelyn Grimes each notched 14 digs on the day. Wilson added 10 digs to mark her fourth double-double this season.
The first set started as a back-and-forth affair, but Florida went on a 4-0 spurt to take the lead 11-8. The Black and Gold chipped away at the Gators’ lead with a kill from Kuehl to ignite a 3-0 run which forced Florida to sit at set point, 24-20. A Florida kill ended the set to its advantage, 25-20.
Kuehl led the second set off with a kill to bring the momentum to the Knights’ side for a quick 4-0 start. Florida answered back to knot the set at five. The Gators took the lead after a 4-0 run, 10-7. Once again, the Knights rallied back late in the set with a 4-0 run sparked by a kill from Wilson, 24-18. Another Gator kill ended the set, 25-18.
With a total of 15 ties, the third set was exhilarating as both teams traded points back and forth until the media timeout when Florida took the lead, 15-14. The Gators continued to put the pressure on as they went up, 17-14 to force a UCF timeout. The Knights fought back with a 3-0 rally to tie the set, 18-18. A late 4-0 rally allowed the Knights to gain the lead 22-19. Following a timeout from Florida, the Knights cruised their way to a 25-20 set win. The Black and Gold ended the set on a 6-1 run.
The Gators came out firing away in the fourth as they reached double digits following a four-point run, 10-6. The Knights could not catch the lead as the Gators crept their way to a 25-16 victory.
The Knights head to the Grand Canyon State for their last road stint of the year with a match against Arizona (11/27) and #9 Arizona State (11/29) with first serve set for 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively.