The No.
18 University of Florida volleyball team (3-2, 0-0 SEC) put up a fight against
perennial power No. 9 Stanford. After a first set victory for the Gators, the
Cardinal took over and defeated Florida in four sets (25-22, 22-25, 20-25, 16-25)
Saturday on the final day of the Nike Big Four Classic.
Freshman
Živa Recek (Kočevje, Slovenia) led the way once again for
the Orange and Blue with 15 kills on the afternoon, tallying 16.5 points overall.
Both junior middle blocker Chloe Mann (Gainesville, Fla.) and senior
right-side hitter Tangerine Wiggs (Seattle, Wash.) registered 13 kills
for the Gators on Saturday, as Wiggs hit .522 with just one error against the
Card. Freshman Simone Antwi (Fairfax Station, Va.) tallied 9.5 points
against Stanford, including eight kills.
Junior
setter Taylor Brauneis (Crystal Lake, Ill.) dished out 50 assists for
Florida, narrowly missing a double-double with seven digs. The Gators’ backrow
defense was anchored by sophomores Taylor Unroe (Muncie, Ind.) and Madison
Monserez (Orlando, Fla.), who combined for 24 digs on the afternoon. Unroe continued
her perfect serve-receive streak and added two service aces for the Orange and
Blue, as the Gators registered three aces to the Cardinal’s one
The Gators
started the first set much the way they began Friday’s match, with a kill
through the seam of the block by Recek. The teams traded points but Florida
kept at least a two-point advantage throughout the early going, courtesy of
some quick sets to middles Antwi and Mann. Unroe ripped an ace to give Florida
a five-point edge and kept the momentum going with a clutch dig on the next
play, setting the Gators up for a great kill by Recek at 13-7. A solo stuff
block by Wiggs forced the Cardinal to take their second timeout of the set at
17-10. A one-handed dish from Brauneis left a wide open net for Mann and gave
the Gators momentum to win the next long rally and get ahead of the Cardinal,
19-11.
Stanford
went on a 4-0 run behind the serve of Kyle Gilbert and forced a Florida timeout
at 19-15. Out of the timeout, freshman Gabby Mallette (Orange Park,
Fla.) killed it down the line to stop the Stanford surge, 20-15. Three quick
points by the Cardinal forced another Gator timeout at 21-18. An Antwi kill at
the end of a long rally and an ensuing kill by Wiggs made it set point for the
Gators at 24-20. Wiggs came from the middle once again to give the Gators the
first set victory, 25-22.
Unroe
ripped her second ace of the match to begin the second stanza and persistent
backcourt defense pushed the Gators ahead early in the set, 8-4, forcing a
Stanford timeout. The Cardinal used the pause in play to their advantage, going
on a 3-0 run to pull within one, 8-7. The Gators used a timeout after the
Cardinal tied things up with a block at 9-9. Stanford continued to surge but
kills by rookies Recek and Whaley put Florida within one with the Gators down
13-12.
An
overpass kill by Inky Ajanaku put the Cardinal ahead 16-13, a three-point
advantage Stanford kept through much of the end of the second set. Florida called
timeout after a Morgan Boukather kill and Stanford continued to surge ahead,
22-17. A rookie roof by Antwi and Recek pulled the Gators back within three,
22-19. Antwi and Wiggs teamed up for another stuff to make it Stanford up
23-20. Wiggs then smartly tooled the Cardinal block to get the kill and force a
Stanford timeout with the Card leading, 23-21. A Recek kill down the pipe put
Florida within one, 24-22. Wiggs was stuffed to end the second set and tie the
match at one set apiece, as Stanford took the second set by the same score as
the first, 25-22.
Stanford
jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead to start the third stanza but Recek nailed one
inside the block to put Florida on the scoreboard, down 2-1. The teams traded
serve and tied the set at 5-5 off an overpass kill by Antwi, set up by a bullet
serve by Unroe. The Gators took the lead off an Antwi kill at 7-6 but Stanford
surged, pulling ahead 11-9. A monster kill by Mann closed the gap and a
Stanford hitting error tied things up at 11-11. The Cardinal kept the momentum
and a kill by Jordan Burgess forced a Florida timeout as Stanford led at 15-12.
Florida
pulled within one at 16-15 with a tip by Antwi but Stanford continued to use
the gaps behind the block to pull ahead, going up 19-16. The teams continued to
battle but a Florida hitting error forced their second timeout of the set, down
21-17. Recek tooled the block to put the Gators back on the scoreboard down
22-18. A Swalchick hitting error set the Cardinal up with set point but a
Stanford hitting error kept the Gators in it the set, 24-20. A dumped kill by
setter Madi Bugg gave Stanford the set at 25-20.
Recek
continued to swing away in the fourth, notching the first kill of the set for
Florida to tie the stanza at 1-1. The Cardinal then went on a 4-0 run to force
a Florida timeout at 5-1. A Recek kill from Monserez stopped the streak and a
Stanford error put the Gators within two at 5-3. Stanford put together four
quick points to inch away, 9-4. Mann slammed three straight kills to force a
Cardinal timeout as the Gators pulled within two, 11-9. Smith tipped one behind
the block to continue to keep Florida close at 14-12. Wiggs had a slam from the
X play out of the middle, keeping Florida within two at 15-13.
The
Gators pulled within one courtesy of a Cardinal hitting error and continued to
pressure Stanford at 16-15. The Card surged to score four quick points and
extend their lead at 20-16, forcing a Florida timeout. Stanford’s streak
continued, pulling ahead 22-16 off a few Gator miscues. The Cardinal fired off
six straight points to close the match, 25-16, ending the set on a stuff block.
