Special report on the Florida Gators volleyball team:
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Aside from early stretches in the first and second sets, as well as a rocky ending to the opener, Florida was dominant in its sweep of No. 19 Florida State in Tuesday (Sep. 19) night’s Fresh from Florida Sunshine Showdown.
The victory gave the Gators their fourth win over a ranked opponent, tying them with Northern Iowa for the national lead.
Florida’s offense continued its steady progression toward operating at the nation-leading level of efficiency it reached a year ago. The No. 3 Gators hit .317, their second-highest hitting percentage of the year, logging 48 kills and just 10 errors on 120 total attacks.
Even still, defense continues to be the driving force of this group. Florida held the Seminoles to a .106 hitting percentage, marking the first time since Sep. 1, 2007 against No. 19 Santa Clara the Gators held a ranked opponent under a .110 clip.
Senior outside hitter Carli Snyder led Florida’s attack with her fourth double-double of the season. The Macomb, Mich. native led all Gators with 12 kills and added 12 digs.
Three-time All-American Rhamat Alhassan (.364) and sophomore middle blocker Rachael Kramer (.421) turned in efficient 10-kill outings. Alhassan and Kramer also combined for nine blocks. Fifth-year senior right side Shainah Joseph was efficient as well, hitting .389 with seven kills and zero errors on 18 total attacks.
Florida seized control of the first set with a 10-4 run to reach set point. After enduring a rocky stretch in which they lost six straight points, Alhassan smashed a putback to end the frame.
Following a 6-6 tie in the second set, the Gators won 34 of the match’s final 55 points. That stretch included the 11-1 run it used to the third set. UF hit .372 notched eight of its 10 blocks in the final two sets of play.
NOTABLES
· Florida held an opponent under a .110 hitting percentage for the fourth time this season
· The Gators’ .317 hitting percentage was its second-highest clip of the season, and the third time they hit above .300 in their last four matches
· Florida recorded 10 blocks for the sixth time this season
· Rachael Kramer hit above .420 for the fourth time this season (she has 14-plus attacks in each of those matches)
· Kramer has double-digit kills in five of eight matches this year
· Carli Snyder has 15 double-doubles in her last 39 matches after posting seven through the first two seasons of her career
· Rhamat Alhassan matched her season high in kills (10) for a second straight match
· Paige Hammons set career highs in kills (eight) and points (10)
· Allie Gregory tied her career high with three assists
· Florida improved its all-time record against Florida State to 40-20, along with a 33-6 mark in Mary Wise’s 27 years as head coach
· Wise collected the 883rd victory of her 31-plus-year career as a head coach, surpassing former UC Santa Barbara head coach Kathy Gregory (1975-2012 – 38 seasons) for the ninth-most wins in Division I history and the 15th-most wins in NCAA history (all three divisions)
NEXT UP
Florida opens Southeastern Conference play Sunday (Sep. 24) at Arkansas. First serve in Fayetteville, Ark. is set for 2 p.m. ET. No live stream or television broadcast will be available, but Tom Collett will have the radio call on ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM / 850 AM.