Strong Blocking Keeps it Close but No. 15 Florida Swept by Marquette

Last Updated: September 19, 2025By

MILWAUKEE, WI – Although the stat sheet favored Florida, the No. 15 Gators fell in three (23-25, 23-25, 23-25) to Marquette on Friday night inside the Al McGuire Center.

The Gators hit a .222 to the Golden Eagles .205 hitting percentage, doubled Marquette in blocking 14.0-7.0 and tallied more assists (40-39) digs (66-60) and more points (59.0-53.0) in the three-setter, but recorded eight service errors to MU’s four.

Outside hitters Jordyn Byrd and Aniya Madkin both finished with double-digit kills for the second-consecutive match, with Byrd leading the way with 13 and Madkin having 10. Middle Blockers Jaela Auguste and Alec Rothe pitched in nine and eight, respectfully, with Auguste having a team-high .389 hitting clip.  

Setters Alexis Stucky and Taylor Parks both captained the Gator offense tonight, with Stucky setting the first and second sets to finish with 18 assists, while Parks came in during the second set and dished out 16 of her own.

Florida was a force at the net, totaling a season-high 14.0 blocks. Rothe led the way with six, while Auguste and Hutson pitched in five each, with the redshirt freshman having a career-high. Byrd (2), Milica Vidacic (2) and Madkin finished with two a piece, with Parks contributing one to the stat sheet.

In the backcourt, freshman libero Lily Hayes picked up a team-high 12 digs and Ella Vogel pitched in eight, while Hutson and Parks had seven each.  

Behind the service line, Auguste dropped two of Florida’s three aces, with Parks having one.

Marquette’s Natalie Ring led the way offensively with 14 kills to hit .364.

Records:
No. 15 Florida (5-3, 0-0 SEC)
Marquette (6-3, 0-0 BIG EAST)
 
Series record:
Overall: 3-2
3-set: 3-1; 4-set: 0-0; 5-set: 0-1
Home: 0-1; Away: 1-1; Neutral: 2-0
 
How It Happened
Set 1

  • A kill from Auguste put the Gators first on the board, but the Golden Eagles responded with a 3-0 scoring run for a 5-4 lead. A block from Hutson and Rothe kickstarted a 5-0 scoring run with Vogel behind the service line to pull ahead 10-6. Florida errors allowed the home team to inch back within two (13-11) but a kill from Byrd followed by an ace from Auguste sent the Gators into the media timeout with a 15-11 advantage. Following the break, the sophomore dropped another ace to help extend Florida’s lead to seven (18-11) before Marquette went on a 7-0 scoring run and evened the score at 19.  An attack from Rothe ended the Golden Eagles’ run, but MU scored two-straight to pull ahead 22-20 and forced the Gators to use their second timeout. Out of the huddle, a block from Hutson and Rothe along with a ten-foot beat down from Auguste made it 22-23, but Marquette came away with a 25-23 opening-set win.

  • Set 1 Stats | .152 Hitting %| 11 Kills | 10 Assists | 13 Digs | 4.0 Blocks | 2 Aces

  • Golden Eagles Stats | .154 Hitting %| 15 Kills | 12 Assists | 15 Digs | 0.0 Blocks | 1 Ace

Set 2

  • Florida was the first to five (5-3) after back-to-back blocks from Auguste and Byrd, as Hutson kept the momentum going with a solo block to hand the Gators an 11-6 lead. Marquette kept the fight, going on a 5-2 scoring run to inch within two, but a slide from Auguste sent the two teams into the media timeout with Florida leading 15-13. Following the break, MU scored three-straight to tie it up at 17, where the home team pushed to a 20-17 lead and force a Gator timeout. Out of the huddle, three-straight kills from Byrd off the assists from Parks evened the score at 20’s, as Marquette called a timeout, where the Golden Eagles responded with an ace and a block for a 23-21 advantage heading into the final points of set two. Back-to-back points from Madkin tied it up at 23 before MU scored two-straight points to clinch set two with a 25-23 victory and gain a two-set advantage.

  • Set 2 Team Stats | .238 Hitting %| 17 Kills |16 Assists |16 Digs | 5.0 Blocks | 0 Aces

  • Golden Eagles Stats | .289 Hitting %|16 Kills | 15 Assists |14 Digs |4.0 Blocks | 1 Ace

Set 3

  • Service errors from Florida allowed Marquette an early 6-2 lead, as Coach Theis called a timeout to regroup. A solo block from Auguste ended MU’s 3-0 scoring rally before stringing together three straight points from Byrd, Hutson and Rothe to inch within two (8-10). Following a Golden Eagles timeout, an ace from Parks and a kill from Rothe tied it up 10’s, where points where exchanged until MU went on a 4-0 scoring run to take a 18-14 lead and force Florida to use their final timeout. A block from Auguste and Madkin put the Gators back within three, but back-to-back kills from Marquette extended their lead to 20-15. Following an MU service error, Florida rallied back within two following a solo block from Madkin and a kill from Rothe, but was unable to make the comeback and fell 23-25 in the third.

  • Set 3 Team Stats | .273 Hitting %| 14 Kills | 14 Assists | 14 Digs | 5.0 Blocks | 1 Ace

  • Golden Eagles Stats | .171 Hitting %| 12 Kills | 12 Assists | 13 Digs | 3.0 Blocks |1 Ace

Hear from Head Coach Ryan Theis:

“We won the overall total point battle, but missed a few too many opportunities and gave away too many points in critical situations to earn a win.”

Notables

  • The Gators are now 2-2 in three-set matches

  • Florida sits 2-2 this season when playing on the road

  • When playing on a Friday, UF is 0-2

  • The Gators move to 3-2 in September play

  • When wearing blue jerseys, Florida sits 2-1

  • Florida is 0-1 against BIG EAST opponents this season.

  • Two Gators either set or tied career highs:

  • Florida registered three, three-set team highs:

    • 14.0 Blocks

    • 59.0 points (tied)

    • 108 Attempts

  •  Alec Rothe’s 6.0 blocks tied an individual three-set high

  • Two Gators registered double-digit kills:

  • Lily Hayes was the only Gator to finish with double-digit kills with 12

Up Next
Florida makes the short drive west to Madison, WI, for its final non-conference matchup against No. 7 Wisconsin inside the Kohl Center.

Sunday, Sept. 21 at No. 7 Wisconsin (6-1, 0-0 B1G)

Wisconsin All-Time Series Record
Overall: 6-2 (0-0 under Theis)
3-set: 2-0, 4-set: 1-0; 5-set: 3-2
Home: 1-1; Away: 3-0; Neutral: 2-1
Last matchup: Florida lost 2-3 in 2023 at home, 25-15, 25-22, 21-25, 22-25, 13-15
 
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