MATCH STATS
- #1 Florida def. Lipscomb 3-1 (25-20, 25-16, 19-25, 25-16)
- Florida moves to 7-0; Lipscomb falls to 6-6
- Gainesville, Florida
- Attendance: 2,674
- Box Score
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Sixteen and a half blocks buoyed No. 1 Florida in a four-set win over Lipscomb Saturday night.
Lipscomb managed two more kills (52-50) and three more aces (6-3), but trailed the Gators in hitting percentage (.302 to .178), blocks (16.5-4) and digs (64-59)
Senior middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan led Florida at the net with 12 blocks to go with a 10-kill effort. Meanwhile, senior outside hitter Carli Snyder led the Gator attack with 19 kills, 11 digs and two aces. Sophomore setter Cheyenne Huskey chipped in eight blocks, while freshman outside Paige Hammons managed a team-best 14 digs alongside sophomore defensive specialist Allie Gregory. Senior libero Caroline Knop (13) and Snyder (11) followed.
Junior outside Carlyle Nusbaum notched a 17-kill, 16-dig double-double to lead Lipscomb in both categories, and registered her 1,000th-career kill, but it was not enough to earn the Bison the victory. Sophomore middle Maddie Phillips added 10 kills on a team-best .375 hitting effort. Junior outside Lauren Anderson chipped in eight kills and nine digs. Phillips and junior right side Carli Anderson managed two blocks apiece, while senior libero Brittany Thomas pulled up 13 digs to hold down the backcourt.
A pair of Nusbaum kills helped Lipscomb to a 5-1 lead in the opening stanza. Florida grabbed the lead at 12-11 with a 7-2 run, including a kill and a block each by Huskey and Hammmons. A Nusbaum kill tied it up at 12. After a tie at 14, the Gators gained control with nine of the next 13 points, including two kills and two aces by Snyder. Down 23-18, kills by Nusbaum and Anderson kept the Bison in the game, but a service error gave Florida the set at 25-20.
The Gators scored five of the first seven points in Set 2 with Rachael Kramer turning in two kills. Two Nusbaum kills tied it at 5, marking the first of four knot-ups. Florida scored four straight, including two stuffs and a kill by Snyder, to go up four at 13-9. Lipscomb cut the margin to two at 14-12, but would get no closer. The Gators wrapped up the stanza at 25-16 with back-to-back-to-back kills by Snyder.
Lipscomb hit at a .325 clip in its 25-16 Set 3 win to keep the match going. The Bison jumped ahead 8-1 as three players turned in kills and Phillips and Anderson put up two blocks. Trailing 11-4, Florida rallied to within two at 12-10 with help from three Snyder putaways. A Hammons kill made it a one-point game at 13-12. A Brittany Thomas ace and two Phillips kills pushed the margin to five at 18-13. A stuff by Alhassan and Huskey made it 20-17, but Lipscomb would not be stopped, closing out the stanza with five of the final seven points. A kill and an ace by Kuper aided the final run.
Down 4-2 in Set 4, Florida scored four straight to kick off a 10-5 run. A kill and a block by Alhassan helped the Gators to the 12-9 lead and five more Alhassan blocks gave Florida a 23-12 lead. Three straight Lipscomb points cut into the margin, but a pair of Snyder kills sewed up the 25-16 win and the match.
MATCH RELEASES
Courtesy: Florida Athletics
Florida trailed early (multiple times) and was pushed late in sets, but it fought off upset-minded Lipscomb, 3-1, to earn its first 7-0 start since winning 16 in a row to open the 2007 campaign.
Third-ranked Florida’s 16.5 total blocks were far and away a season high, while three-time All-American Rhamat Alhassan‘s 12 total blocks matched the third-highest single-match total in school history during the rally-scoring era. Entering this week, only four other players in the nation recorded 12 blocks in a four-set match.
Alhassan’s 12 blocks Saturday (Sep. 16) night also moved her past Nicole McCray (1999-02) for the third-most career blocks in school history (530).
Senior outside hitter Carli Snyder led the Gators’ offense with a season-high 19 kills, tying the second-highest total of her career. The Macomb, Mich. native also recorded her second consecutive double-double. Snyder also logged a career-high 22.5 points.
Four Gators—Snyder (11), Caroline Knop (13), Allie Gregory (14), Paige Hammons (14)—recorded double-digit digs.
The victory increased head coach Mary Wise’s 31-year-career total to 882, tying her with 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). Wise also collected her 800th win at Florida Friday (Sep. 15) night.
NOTABLES
- The Gators have held each of their opponents under a .180 hitting percentage this year (Lipscomb’s .178 is the highest allowed by UF this season)
- The Gators hit over .300 for the third time this year (.302)
- Florida last had at least 16.5 total blocks in a match on Sep. 4, 2015 at Texas (also 16.5 blocks)
- Rhamat Alhassan‘s 12 block assists also tied the third-highest single-match total in school history (rally-scoring era only)
- Alhassan’s first block assist of the night broke a tie with Nicole McCray for the second-highest career total in program history (452)
- Carli Snyder has 14 double-doubles in her last 38 matches after only posting seven her entire first two seasons with the Gators
- Paige Hammons posted a season-high six kills (her 14 digs were also a season high)
- Allie Gregory‘s 14 digs were a career high, as were Cheyenne Huskey’s eight blocks and 8.5 points
- Florida has won the first meeting of all 27 new series it has started since 2005, including 25 via sweep (Lipscomb and Northern Kentucky were both first-time opponents for UF this weekend)
NEXT UP
Florida faces No. 20 Florida State in the Fresh From Florida Sunshine Showdown Tuesday (Sep. 19). First serve inside Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Courtesy: Lipscomb Athletics
Although the scoreboard might not show it, the Lipscomb volleyball team gave No. 3 Florida all it could handle Saturday night in the Gator Invitational.
Carlyle Nusbaum recorded her 1,000th-career kill, but it was not enough as the Gators staved off the pesky Bisons to claim a 3-1 victory (25-20, 25-16, 19-25, 25-16) in the O’Connell Center.
Trailing two sets to none, the Bisons came out firing in the third and wrangled the Gators from start to finish. They got five kills and five digs from Nusbaum in the set while outhitting UF .325 to .188.
Nusbaum finished with her seventh double-double of the year behind a team high 17 kills and 16 digs.
Providing a spark off the bench for Lipscomb, freshman Megan Kuper delivered the best match of her young career. She totaled career highs in points (8.0), kills (7) and digs (5).
Maddie Phillips hit a team high .375 with 10 kills and only one error in 24 attacks. She also added two blocks.
Lauren Anderson just missed a double-double with eight kills and nine digs.
UP NEXT:
Lipscomb begins the conference portion of its schedule next week and you could not ask for a better match. The Bisons will travel to Kennesaw State next Friday, September 22 for a 6 p.m. first serve.
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