Florida wins second straight SEC match behind Stucky's triple-double

Story by Brooke Bastedo

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — After coach Ryan Theis captured his first career SEC victory last Sunday, the Florida Gators won their second consecutive conference match on Friday against Auburn behind a historic performance from redshirt junior setter Alexis Stucky. No. 23 UF handed the Tigers their first league loss of the season, defeating them in four sets (25-18, 17-25, 25-18, 27-25) at the Stephen O’Connell Center.

The 3-1 victory marked Florida’s 58th win against Auburn, and the team had several strong individual performances. Among these individual stars was Stucky, who stood out with her offensive plays as well as defensive saves. On Friday, she became the first Florida setter to record a triple-double since 2005. She recorded a career-best 10 kills, 42 assists and 12 digs.

In the SEC opener against Mississippi State, Stucky led the Gators with 16 digs. She also leads the team with 9.2 assists per set.

“I just try to get my teammates good looks,” Stucky said. “Our passing does a great job, so I can put them in good opportunities, but I try to give people one-on-one so we can score.”

Early in the game, both teams struggled to settle. Florida was thrown out of system, but the team was able to find its footing once sophomore Jaela Auguste recorded her first kill.

On the other side of the court, Auburn struggled with maintaining momentum through serves. Despite having numerous rally wins, the Tigers were unable to settle into the offensive end of the ball.

Florida struggled to communicate early in the second set, leading to an early deficit. It was unable to overcome the deficit, but flashes of greatness sparked from freshman Milicia Vidacic, who recorded four kills in the second set.

After this boost, the Gators settled into a creative offensive route. Stucky made plays on the ball, including her 10 kills and strategic tips. Her teammates, sophomores Alec Rothe and Jordyn Byrd, took advantage of Auburn’s overpasses and converted them into explosive kills.

This change came from Florida’s ability to read the Auburn defense. The Tigers’ precision is an asset; however, it made their defense predictable and gave UF the chance to capitalize on weak spots like the back-row seams.

Florida appeared to be surprising itself as its offensive tactics came to fruition, but Auburn was unable to adjust to the Gators’ pace of play.

Theis aided UF’s success with two successful challenges. A challenge on a block touch in the fourth set was the two-point swing his team needed to side out and earn the win against Auburn (11-3, 2-1 SEC).

“I really like the way we battled,” Theis said. “Siding out is not easy, and that’s something we’ve struggled with.”

Along with the win, Florida fans celebrated Taylor Swift Night in the O’Dome. Giveaways such as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour merchandise and an electric scooter were won by students attending the match.

The Gators’ next matchup will be against another SEC opponent. Florida (7-5, 2-1 SEC) will travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to take on the LSU Tigers at 2 p.m. on Sunday.