COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 12 Florida volleyball team swept Ohio State, 25-23, 25-20, 25-14, on Sunday afternoon for its fourth-straight win and the program’s first win inside the Covelli Center.  

After a slow start, the Gators (4-1, 0-0 SEC) found their rhythm and held the Buckeyes (1-3, 0-0 B1G) to a .165 hitting percentage for a season-low 31 kills. Setter Taylor Parks commanded Florida’s offense to a .305 clip en route to her first double-double of the season with 35 assists and 10 digs.

Florida’s balanced attack saw five players contributing to the stat sheet, with outside hitters Jordyn Byrd and Aniya Madkin finishing in double-digits. Byrd registered a team-high 15 kills and Madkin finished with a season-high 11 kills to tie her career-high .417 hitting percentage.

Sophomore Jaela Auguste hit .538 to finish with eight kills, while redshirt freshman Kira Hutson and sophomore Alec Rothe added six each to Florida’s 47.

At the net, Florida finished with 4.0 team blocks to Ohio State’s 5.0, but had 48 digs to the Buckeyes 35. Freshman libero Lily Hayes led the backcourt with 13 digs, while tying her career-high five assists.

Sophomore Ella Vogel pitched in seven digs with six additional Gators contributing to the stat line. Sophomore Bella Lee finished with a season-high four digs and Madkin (5), Hutson (4), Emily Canaan (3), Auguste (1) and Alexis Stucky (1) combining for 14.

Behind the service line, Florida dropped eight aces to OSU’s two. Hutson dropped a career-high four aces, while Vogel finished with two. Auguste and Canaan each had one apiece for the third-straight match.  

Ohio State’s Hanna Jones led the Buckeyes offense with 12 kills.

Records:

No. 12 Florida (4-1, 0-0 SEC)

Ohio State (1-3, 0-0 B1G)

 

Series record:

5-1 (1-0 under Theis)

3-set: 1-0; 4-set: 3-0; 5-set: 1-1

Home: 3-0; Away: 0-0; Neutral: 1-1

 

How It Happened

Set 1

• In an opening set that had 13 ties and four lead changes, the Gators started down 5-3 before settling in and tying it up at six. Ohio State responded with three-straight to regain a 9-6 advantage before back-to-back kills from Auguste and Byrd inched Florida back within one. Another kill from Auguste sent the sophomore to the service line where she dropped an ace to make it 10 all, as Florida went into the media timeout with a 15-13 advantage. Following the break, the Buckeyes scored two straight to notch it back up at 16 before a sideout from Auguste sent Canaan to the service line, where the senior had an ace to push UF ahead 18-16. Service errors from Florida allowed Ohio State to keep momentum and take a 20-19 lead to force Coach Theis to call a timeout. Out of the huddle, a kill from Byrd ended the 3-0 Buckeye scoring run, but back-to-back OSU points gave the home team a 22-20 advantage before kills from Byrd and Madkin tied it back up at 22’s and forced Ohio State to call a timeout to slow the Gators momentum. Florida rallied back with its versatile offense to come away with a 25-23 win.
• Set 1 Stats | .333 Hitting %| 17 Kills |16 Assists |15 Digs | 2 Aces | 0.0 Blocks  
• Ohio State Stats | .344 Hitting %|14 Kills |13 Assists |15 Digs |1.0 Blocks | 0 Aces

Set 2

• A 5-0 scoring run behind the serves of Hutson gave the Gators a 6-3 lead and force an early Ohio State timeout. The Buckeyes regrouped and scored three-straight to inch within one before tying it up at 10. An ace from Vogel allowed for a 12-10 Florida lead before Hutson dropped another ace to push the lead to 15-13. Florida extended its lead to 20-17, but back-to-back attack errors kept the door open for the Buckeyes to tie it back up at 20. With the race to 25 inching close, a kill from Rothe sent Vogel to the service line where the redshirt freshman served out the rest of set two, as back-to-back kills from Madkin clinched the 25-20 second-set win.   
• Set 2 Team Stats | .276 Hitting %| 15 Kills |16 Assists |14 Digs |3 Aces | 2.0 Blocks
• Ohio State Stats |.107 Hitting %|8 Kills | 7 Assists |4 Digs | 2 Aces | 1.0 Block

Set 3

• Looking to secure the match sweep, back-to-back kills from Rothe helped Florida to an early 6-3 lead. Hutson kept the momentum going with two-straight aces to pull ahead 9-5 and versatile offense from Byrd, Auguste and Madkin allowed for a five-point advantage as a solo block from Hutson sent Florida into the media timeout with a 15-9 lead. Following the break, the Buckeyes scored two-consecutive points to inch within four, but the Gators went on an 8-4 scoring run to close out set three with a 25-14 victory and come away with the three-set win.
• Set 3 Team Stats | .297 Hitting %| 15 Kills | 15 Assists | 19 Digs | 3 Aces | 2.0 Blocks
• Ohio State Stats | .054 Hitting %| 9 Kills |9 Assists | 16 Digs | 3.0 Blocks | 0 Aces

Hear from Head Coach Ryan Theis:
“Really fun environment on the road. We started slow and missed defensive assignments and a few opportunities to score points, but as the match went on we got way better at recognition and defensive team effort. I really liked the way we defended in the second and third sets.”

Alec Rothe on being back in her home state and with her family and friends coming out to support…

“It’s so surreal honestly, this is my village. These are the people that raised me and it makes me so emotional thinking about how many were here for me. I am so grateful we got to come and play in Ohio.”

Notables

• The Gators are now 2-0 in three-set matches this year.
• Florida sits 2-0 when playing on the road.
• Career Starts or first Gator Appearance
• UF improves to 3-0 in Sunday matches this season.
• The Gators are 2-0 in September play.
• Florida is now 1-0 against Big Ten opponents.
•  Five players either set or tied career-highs:
  
• Five Gators either set or tied season-highs:
  
• Florida recorded six three-set team highs:

  • 59.0 Points
  • 47 Kills
  • 36 digs
  • 46 assists
  • 8 aces (tied)
  • 4.0 Blocks (tied)

• Five Gators recorded three-set individual highs:
  
• Setter Taylor Parks registered her first double-double of the season, fifth of her career, with 35 assists and 10 digs.
• Two Gators finished with double-digit kills:
  
• Two players finished with double-digit digs:
  

Up Next
Florida wraps up its three-match road stint on Tuesday, Sept. 9, making its first appearance in Chapel Hill, N.C., since 1993 to take on North Carolina in the SEC-ACC Challenge. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET inside Carmichael Arena and will air live on the ACC Network featuring Kevin Fitzgerald and Leah Edmond on the call.
 
No. 12 Florida at RV North Carolina
Date & Time: Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill, NC
Broadcast: ACCN https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/2026a998-6398-4c2d-93b3-d8566f9c13fa
Talent: Kevin Fitzgerald (PxP) and Leah Edmond (Analyst)
SEC-ACC Challenge: https://floridagators.com/news/2025/5/22/gators-to-face-north-carolina-in-espns-showdown-at-the-net.aspx
LiveStats: https://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statmonitr.php?gid=unc
 
North Carolina Series Record 12-1 (0-0 under Theis)
3-set: 6-1; 4-set: 4-0; 5-set: 2-0
Home: 4-0; Away: 4-1; Neutral: 4-0
Last Matchup: 2017 in San Juan, PR (SEC-ACC Challenge) – Florida won 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-23)
 
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