STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State volleyball took down No. 14 Florida at home on Friday by a score of 3-1. The upset victory was State's first victory at home over the Gators in program history.

Friday's win over Florida is the Bulldogs second win over the Gators since 2021 and the first win over a top 15 ranked Florida team.

The Bulldogs cruised in the first frame with a 25-18 win before Florida took set two, 25-20. State grabbed the momentum with a comeback victory in set three that saw the Bulldogs trailing 16-19 before rallying to a 27-25 set win. With the momentum squarely on their side, Mississippi State was able to close out the match in set four with its 25-21 set win.

"This is a great win for our program, for our fans and for our future," head coach Julie Darty Dennis said. "All week we've been talking about playing with intensity and focus. When you play a team like Florida, you're going to have to play hard because they're going to want to go hard as well. I am proud of the way we raised our level. I talked to Amina [Shackelford] before the match about a couple things that she had to do if we were going to be in it. The serves she had at the end and the numbers she had tonight was an absolutely incredible performance for her. I am really excited for our team."

Leading the way for State on Friday was Amina Shackelford and Sophie Agee. Shackelford led the Bulldogs with a season-high 18 kills behind a .469 hitting percentage and two blocks, while Agee added 16 kills to the stat sheet with seven digs and a block. Karli Schmidt was impactful on the front line with 13 kills on a .314 clip.

The front row defense for State was great on Friday. The Bulldogs recorded 12 total blocks as a team, tied for the third-most in a match this season and tied for most against an SEC opponent.

Rebecca Walk was a big reason for State's strong blocking numbers as she led the team in blocks with seven, tied for a season-high. Walk also added five kills. Joining Walk with a strong blocking night was Sanaa Willimas who had five blocks, while Schmidt and Caylee Sharkey each added three blocks.

Libero Lauren Myrick fueled the back row with 20 digs to go along with five assists and an ace. State's libero has secured 10-plus digs in 15 appearances with six of those occasions being 20-plus digs. Defensive specialist Mary Neal collected 14 digs and two aces.

Bulldog setters Erin Kline and Emily Oerther distributed a combined 46 assists on the night. Individually, Oerther paced the Bulldogs with a season-best 29 assists while Kline added a season-high 17 assists to go along with eight digs.

As a team, Mississippi State earned 57 kills, the third-most in a single-match this season, behind a hitting percentage of .338. State also earned 58 digs (second-most in an SEC match this season), 56 assists (tied for the most in a single-match this year), and 12 total blocks all while holding Florida to a .250 hitting percentage, their sixth worst percentage this season. States 12 total blocks was the second-most blocks that the Gators have given up during the 2023 campaign.

Florida's four total blocks on Friday was also the second-fewest blocks they have earned in a match this season.

State heads to No. 23 Kentucky to take on the Wildcats on Friday, Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. CT. The Bulldogs will then return home to face in-state rival Ole Miss on Sunday, Oct. 22 at 2 p.m. Sunday's match will air live nationally on SEC Network.