Alabama
1-2, 1-2SEC
Florida
3-0, 3-0SEC
Alabama Battles in Three-Set Loss at No. 4 Florida Friday Night
10/30/2020 8:05:00 PM | Volleyball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Alabama volleyball challenged fourth-ranked Florida on the road Friday night, including a three-point decision in the second set, but the Gators ultimately took the match in three sets by scores of 25-18, 25-22 and 25-18.
The Crimson Tide and Gators battled back and forth early in the first set, with Alabama holding a 12-11 lead at the halfway mark before Florida closed out the opening frame with a 14-6 run. The second set was another back-and-forth contest early, with three unanswered from Alabama giving the Tide a 15-14 lead at the media timeout. After a Florida timeout trailing 18-17, the Gators scored three in a row and held the lead through to the end of the set to win and take a 2-0 match lead. Florida held the lead through the entire third set, winning 25-18 to complete the sweep.
Abby Marjama led the Tide offense with 13 kills for the second straight match, including seven kills in the second set. Kennedy Muckelroy and Alyiah Wells were next in line with nine and eight kills, respectively, with Wells committing just one error on 18 swings for a .389 hitting percentage. Riley Fisbeck tallied the Tide's first double-double of the season, earning 25 assists and a career-best 11 digs.
STAT LEADERS
- Kills – Abby Marjama – 13
- Assists – Riley Fisbeck – 25
- Aces – Kendyl Reaugh/Madelyn St. Germain – 1
- Digs – Riley Fisbeck/Madelyn St. Germain – 11
- Blocks – Four tied - 1
SCORES BY SET
- 1st | Florida 25, Alabama 18
- 2nd | Florida 25, Alabama 22
- 3rd | Florida 25, Alabama 18
MATCH NOTES
- Seven different Tide players earned a kill in the match
- Two Alabama players returned to their home state for the match, including senior Kaylee Thomas (Ocala) and freshman Chaise Campbell (St. Petersburg)
- Katie Shook made her season debut with the Crimson Tide in Friday's match. The sophomore appeared in 17 matches last year.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Riley Fisbeck (GS – La Grange, Texas)
- Posted the first double-double of the season for Alabama, finishing with 25 assists and 11 digs
- Added three kills on six attempts
UP NEXT
Alabama faces off against Florida for a second time in Gainesville on Saturday, Oct. 31 at 2 p.m. CT.
For the latest information on the team, follow @AlabamaVBall on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Volleyball on Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
