Match Info
- #1 Florida at Ole Miss (Southeastern Conference Match)
- Oxford, MS
- Florida improves to 14-0 (6-0 SEC); Ole Miss drops to 12-8 (3-4 SEC)
- Attendance: 959
- Match Stats
Behind a dominant performance from Rhamat Alhassan, #1 Florida rolled to a sweep of the host Rebels of Ole Miss. Set scores were 25-23, 25-18, and 25-16. Alhassan was a one-woman wrecking crew as she collected 20 kills in an errorless 26 swings for an astounding .769 hitting percentage. She also added 5 blocks. No other Florida player collected more than 5 kills, but on this night, it was not needed for the Gators. Sharing setting duties, Allie Monserez and Cheyenne Husky dished out 16 and 13 assists respectively, setting the team to a .306 hitting efficiency. Caroline Knopp led the defense with 20 digs while Carli Snyder collected 11 digs and Allie Gregory added 8. The Gators improved to 14-0 (6-0 SEC) and will put their perfect record on the line when they host #9 Kentucky on Sunday, October 15th.
Florida led the match in kills 39-25, blocks 11-3, digs 46-45, and assists 36-24. The Gator defense held strong all night long, holding Ole Miss to a negative hitting percentage at -.036.
It was a tough night for the Rebels as Emily Stroup led the Ole Miss offense with 8 kills, but she had 10 hitting errors in the match for a -.080 hitting percentage. Kate Gibson and Bayleigh Scott contributed 8 and 6 kills respectively. Lauren Bars (11 assists) and Jordan Fate (10 assists) shared setting duties for the Rebels. With the loss, Ole Miss drops to 12-8 (3-4 SEC). The Rebels will return to action on Sunday, October 15th when they travel to Columbia to face South Carolina.
Press Release:
Courtesy of Florida Athletics
OXFORD, Miss. – The top-ranked Gators (14-0, 6-0 SEC) were pushed in the first set but dominated the final two, as three-time All-American middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan turned in one of the best performances in the nation in Friday night’s sweep of Ole Miss.
Florida returns to Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center for the third top-10 matchup in SEC history Sunday, when it faces No. 8 Kentucky at 1 p.m. Florida and Kentucky, chosen by the league’s coaches as the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the preseason, are the only teams with unblemished SEC records.
Alhassan totaled 20 kills and zero errors on 26 attacks, good for a ridiculous .769 hitting percentage. Alhassan is the only player in the nation to hit over .710 with at least 20 kills and 20 attempts this year. She is also the only player in the country to tally at least 20 kills and finish errorless in a match this year. Her hitting percentage also ranks fourth in program history for a single match (minimum 20 attempts).
Alhassan also added five total blocks (one solo) for 23 points. She is the fourth Gator since 2006 to tally at least 23 points in a three-set match.
Florida’s defense was as stingy as ever, too, holding Ole Miss to a -.036 hitting percentage. It is the second time this season the Gators forced their opponent into a negative hitting percentage. Senior libero Caroline Knop led the back row with 20 digs, marking her fourth 20-dig match of the year.
The victory elevated Mary Wise‘s career win total to 889, surpassing former Pacific and Stanford head coach John Dunning for the seventh-most wins in Division I history and 13th-most wins in NCAA history (all three divisions).
(COACH) WISE’S WORDS
Head coach Mary Wise on Rhamat Alhassan‘s performance…
“We’ve had a history of some pretty elite middles, but this was a special performance. For a middle to score 23 points in a three-set match … she just made such great decisions all night long and was the difference-maker. Even the ones she didn’t touch, she altered some hitting choices by (Ole Miss). There were even more points she was responsible for than show up in the box score.”
Wise on the difference between the struggles in the first set and the last two sets when things got rolling…
“We passed the ball very well. Our setters did a really good job getting balls to Rhamat. There were major point runs when Rhamat was in the front row.”
Wise on getting ready for a top-10 matchup with Kentucky Sunday…
“We’ve been preparing for Kentucky for some time … any night we played a very physical team. It’s the best Kentucky team in decades. They’re that good. It should be a really fun match.”
Press Release:
Courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics
OXFORD, Miss. – A season-high crowd of 959 came to watch the Ole Miss volleyball team battle No. 1 Florida on Superhero Night Friday, but the Gators rallied to win the first set on their way to a 3-0 win at the Gillom Sports Center.
Both teams battled back and forth in set one, before the Rebels went on a 10-5 run to go up 21-16. Florida then went on a 9-2 run to close out the set 25-23, behind nine kills from middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan, who finished with a match-high 20 on the night.
Ole Miss got out to a 5-1 start in set two, forcing Florida to call timeout. The Gators answered with an 11-5 run to go up 12-7. The Rebels never got any closer than four as Florida won it 25-18 to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Gators carried the momentum over to set three and led 11-6 as Ole Miss called timeout. The Rebels never could get closer as Florida extended its lead and ended up taking the set 25-16 to close out the match 3-0.
Quick Hits…
- Ole Miss is now 12-8 overall, 3-4 in the SEC.
- With 15 digs, junior Caroline Adams moved into the top 10 in the rally era with 780.
- Redshirt freshman Leah Mulkey saw her first career action in an SEC match.
Up next…
The Rebels hit the road to face South Carolina Sunday at 12:30 p.m. CT in Columbia, South Carolina. Fans can watch the match on SECN+ via the WatchESPN app.
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