MATCH STATS
- #1 Florida def. LSU 3-0 (25-17, 26-24, 25-23)
- Florida moves to 11-0, 3-0 SEC; LSU falls to 11-4, 2-2 SEC
- Gainesville, Florida
- Attendance: 2723
- Box Score
The #1 Florida Gators extended their undefeated streak winning their 11th straight match over the LSU Tigers in Gainesville. LSU came into the match after a 3-1 win at South Carolina. Despite a strong push from the Tigers in the second set, Florida’s team system proved to be too much for LSU to overcome.
For the Gators, Carli Snyder ranked in the top three in almost every statistical category including digs, aces, kills, and blocks. She registered 16 kills (.394), 2 blocks, 2 aces and 8 digs to stabilize her team. Rhamat Alhassan and Paige Hammons both contributed to Florida’s success by tallying 8 and 9 kills respectively. The Gators’ unique offensive system was set to a .384 hitting efficiency by Allie Monserez and Cheyenne Huskey.
Taylor Bannister, Jacqui Armer and Gina Tillis led the Tigers’ offense throughout the match, recording 12, 7 and 10 kills respectively. Armer hit for the best percentage of the three at .417. What truly kept LSU in the match was their defense. The Tigers recorded more total digs than Florida, 39 to 35.
LSU host Mississippi State and Arkansas next week and Florida brings Texas A&M and Georgia to Gainesville.
PRESS RELEASES
Courtesy of Florida Athletics
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Senior outside hitter Carli Snyderled the top-ranked Gators to their 11th consecutive win and a sweep of LSU Sunday (Oct. 1), making them the only remaining undefeated team in the nation.
Snyder logged 16 kills and just three errors on 33 attacks, logging a .394 hitting percentage. The Macomb, Mich. native added a block solo, block assist, and two service aces to total a match-high 19.5 points. Snyder’s previous career highs in three-set matches were 15 kills (twice last season) and 18 points (Dec. 2, 2016 against Alabama State).
Snyder’s eight digs trailed only senior libero Caroline Knop‘s 11 for the team lead.
Freshman outside hitter Paige Hammons logged nine kills and 10 points. The former statistic was her highest three-set total this season, while the latter tied her highest total in a three-set match this year, as she also had 10 points in the sweep of No. 19 Florida State.
Three-time All-American Rhamat Alhassan and sophomore middle blocker Rachael Kramercombined for 13 kills and both hit .400 for the match.
As a team, the Gators hit .353, their second-best outing this season in terms of efficiency. Florida’s defense held LSU to a .182 clip.
NOTABLES
- Florida’s 11-0 start is the fourth-longest winning streak to open a season in school history, trailing 16-0 starts in 1987 and 2007, as well as the 28-0 start to the 1995 campaign
- The Gators had a season-low nine hitting errors
- Florida has held 10 of its first 11 opponents under a .185 hitting percentage
- The Gators had their lowest output of the season in digs (35), blocks (6.5), assists (40), and points (55.5)
- Shainah Joseph hit .500 with five kills and zero errors on 10 attacks, making this the fifth time this year she hit over .425 with at least nine attacks
- The Gators have never lost a match during the regular season as the nation’s No. 1 team (24-0 record) and boast a 29-2 all-time record at No. 1
- Florida improved its all-time record against LSU to 42-13, along with a 39-5 mark under head coach Mary Wise
NEXT UP
Florida continues its four-match homestand Wednesday (Oct. 4) against Texas A&M. ESPNU will televise the match, and the team of Tom Collett and Josh Crow will have the radio call for ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM / 850 AM. First serve in the O’Dome is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
Courtesy of LSU Athletics
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The LSU volleyball team (11-4, 2-2 SEC) battled tough with No. 1 ranked Florida (11-0, 2-0 SEC) but fell in straight sets on Sunday afternoon in Exactech Arena by scores of 25-17, 26-24 and 25-23.
Senior Gina Tillis and freshman Taylor Bannister finished with a combined 22 kills, tallying 10 and 12 kills respectively. Along with her 10 kills, Tillis registered 11 digs for her 23rd career double-double and her seventh on the year.
Sophomore setter Anna Zwiebel dished out 32 assists, while freshman Raigen Cianciulli finished with 11 digs. Junior Lindsay Flory recorded a match-high three aces.
Fran’s Final Thoughts
“We gave it a great shot today. I am proud of how we fought and how we implemented our plan. We attacked them exactly the way we needed to, but I just don’t think we did it consistently enough. We fought like Tigers at the end and tried to make a nice run. We made some great plays and played some great defense. Our offense took a while to in rhythm and that was disappointing. I am proud of where we got today but also frustrated that we were a couple of steps off.”
Opening Set
LSU jumped out to an early 5-1 lead over Florida and pushed the lead to 7-3. But Florida went on 6-0 run to take a 9-7 lead over the Tigers. The Gators extended their lead to 17-12. LSU put together a 3-1 run to bring the score to 21-16 but the Tigers only scored once more as Florida took the first set 25-17. The Tigers hit .160 to the Gators’ .438 percentage.
Second Set
Florida got out a 4-0 lead, forcing LSU to take its first timeout of the set early. A 3-0 run for the Tigers, including back-to-back aces from Lindsay Flory cut the Gators’ lead to three, 8-5. Florida took a 15-10 lead. The Tigers cut the Gators’ lead to three and work their way back to tie the set up 22-22. A Jacqui Armer kill gave the Tigers a 24-23 lead but the Gators scored three straight points to claim the set 26-24 and take a 2-0 lead.
Third Set
LSU and Florida were tied up 3-3 but the Tigers used three straight points to take a 5-3 lead. The teams traded points but LSU got out to a 9-6 lead. A 3-1 run for the Tigers pushed their lead to 13-9 after Lindsay Flory’s third service ace on the day. LSU took a 15-11 lead but the Gators went on an 8-1 run to take a 19-16. LSU held off the Gators for five straight match points but the Gators took the set 25-23.
Game Notes
>> Tillis’ 10 kills brings her career kill total to 960. She is now just 40 kills away from being the 22nd player in program history to reach 1,000 kills.
>> Bannister’s 12 kills is the seventh match on the year that she has recorded 10-plus kills. She has led the Tigers in kills in the last nine matches.
Next Up
LSU returns home for two matches next week against Mississippi State on Friday, October 6 at 6 p.m. and Arkansas on Sunday, October 8 at 1 p.m. in the Maravich Center. The Mississippi State match will air on the SEC Network, while the Arkansas match will be available on the SEC Network+.
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