Florida Gets 7th Consecutive Sweep with 3-0 Win Over South Carolina

Match Stats

• #6 Florida def. South Carolina 3-0 (25-13, 25-20, 25-15)
• Florida moves to 23-2 (13-1 SEC); South Carolina falls to 17-8 (5-8 SEC)
• Gainesville, Florida
• Attnedance: 894

Press Releases

Courtesy Florida Athletics:

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 6 Gators hit above .350 for the seventh consecutive match and tied their season high of nine service aces in a sweep of South Carolina on Friday (Nov. 11), extending their winning streak to 11, sweep streak to seven, and giving them a half-game lead in the SEC standings.

This is the first time since 2003 the Gators hit above .350 in seven straight matches. The 2003 Gators, who played for the national title and were the last UF team to reach the NCAA Semifinals, registered a clip of .350 or better in eight matches (Sep. 20-Oct. 12).

Junior libero Caroline Knop spearheaded UF’s effective serving night with six aces. Knop joins Mackenzie Dagostino (Sep. 19, 2014) as the only other Gator since 2012 with six-plus service aces in a match. The Pasadena, Calif. native is also the first Gator since Kristy Jaeckel (2011) to post six-plus aces in a three-set match.

Florida enjoyed yet another solid passing night as well, with redshirt sophomore Allie Monserez racking up 40 assists and helping four Gators—Rhamat Alhassan, Alex Holston, Rachael Kramer, Carli Snyder—notch at least eight kills.

Holston tallied a match-high 11 kills, marking the fifth time in UF’s last six matches she finished with at least 10. Snyder was the only other Gator to reach double figures, logging 10 kills for her 17th match with double-digit kills this year.

Florida scored the first five points in set one to race to a 25-13 opening-set victory, which featured five of the team’s nine aces. Set two saw both teams make runs to tie the match at 18-18, though the Gators stiffened defensively and took seven of the final nine points. UF built a 16-8 lead in the clinching set before closing out a 25-15 win.

THE RECORDS

• No. 6 Florida: 23-2, 13-1 SEC
• South Carolina: 17-8, 5-8 SEC

NOTABLES AND TRENDS

• Florida improves its all-time record against South Carolina to 54-7, and to 48-2 under head coach Mary Wise.
• This is UF’s longest streak of sweeps since logging seven consecutive straight-set victories from Oct. 19-Nov. 12, 2014.
• Tonight marked the fifth time this season the Gators did not have a single receiving error.
• Florida tied its season high with nine aces, a figure it also recorded against Central Michigan (Sep. 3) in the Spartan Invitational.
• Caroline Knop’s six service aces tied the second-highest total by an SEC player in a match of any length this year.
• Knop’s previous career high for service aces was three, a total she recorded five different times, most recently at Oregon (Aug. 27).
• The only other Gators with six or more service aces in a match in the rally scoring era are: Jane Collymore (2004), Aury Cruz (five times), Mackenzie Dagostino (2014), Kristy Jaeckel (2011), Jenny Manz (1999), Lauren Moscovic (2001), Kelly Murphy (2010), and Jacque Robinson (2000).
• Allie Monserez logged at least 40 assists in a three-set match for the fifth time this year.

UP NEXT

The Gators face Alabama on Sunday (Nov. 13) afternoon, and the matchup will be televised by SEC Network, with Sam Gore and Jenny Hazelwood on the call. First serve at the Gale Lemerand Athletic Center Gym is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.

Sunday will also be Senior Day for the Gators, who will honor their only senior this year—three-time All-American right side Alex Holston—prior to first serve.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Sunday, Nov. 13, vs. Alabama | 2 p.m.
TV: Live on SEC Network (Sam Gore, Jenny Hazelwood) | Stream: WatchESPN | Radio Stream (Tom Collett, Josh Crow) + live on ESPN Gainesville (95.3 FM / AM 850) | Live Stats
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Alabama | 17-10 overall, 6-8 SEC
Florida leads: 42-0 (40-0 under Mary Wise)
3-set: 38-0 | 4-set: 4-0 | 5-set: 0-0
Home: 19-0 | Away: 20-0 | Neutral: 3-0
Last Time Out: Sep. 25, 2016 at Tuscaloosa –> W, 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-19)
Notable: UF has swept Alabama in each of the last 13 meetings

Courtesy South Carolina Athletics:

GAINESVILLE, FLA. – The South Carolina volleyball team dropped a three-set road match to No. 6 Florida Friday night, 13-25, 20-25, 15-25. The loss drops the Gamecocks to 17-8, 5-8 in the SEC, while Florida improves to 23-2, 13-1 SEC.

1st Set: The Gators built a quick lead on the back of their service, recording a pair of aces to take a 5-0 lead to begin the match. The Gamecocks were able to grab the reins back for a moment, using a 5-1 rally to cut the lead down to 10-8 before Florida pulled back ahead behind a number of unforced errors from South Carolina. In total, the Gamecocks allowed five aces and hit -.042 – despite the Gators getting zero blocks – to fall 25-13 in the opening game.

2nd Set: After totaling just two kills between them in the opening game, Dessaa Legros and Mikayla Shields rallied the offense with a strong performance in set two. Legros finished with four kills, Shields added three more and the visitors improved their attack efficiency to .257 in the game. Freshman Alicia Starr added some offensive parity with four kills out of the middle. Despite trailing for most of the early going, the Gamecocks fought back to an 18-all tie late thanks to a 5-1 run, but they allowed Florida to score the next six points to pull away for the 25-20 win and the 2-0 lead at halftime.

3rd Set: Florida was able to seal the win in the third set with a strong offensive showing, putting together its most efficient set of the night with a team hitting percentage of .432. The Gamecocks were scrapping on defense, but were not able to slow down Florida at the net. Legros paced the offense again in the third, finishing with five more kills – many coming off clever tips and tools.

STAT OF THE MATCH

The Gators out-aced the Gamecocks 8-0 for the night, and were able to keep South Carolina out of system on offense throughout the match. The last time the Gamecocks went a whole match without an ace was Oct. 15, 2014, coincidentally against Florida.

NOTABLE

Megan Kirkland’s 13 digs are tied for the most in a three-set match for Carolina this season.
Koko Atoa-Williams was second on the team with 11 digs. It was her ninth match of the season with double digit digs. She had seven for the entire 2015 season.
With her team-high 10 kills Friday, Dessaa Legros now has double digit kills in four of the last five matches.
UP NEXT

The Gamecocks return home to close out the weekend, hosting No. 21 Missouri Sunday at 4 p.m. ET. The match will offer a host of fun activities and deals for fans. It will be the program’s “daddy and daughter date day”, where for just $8, families can get two tickets to the match, a pre-game photo and a commemorative picture frame. Sunday will also be the MyCarolina Alumni Association Day, where fans with an alumni association card can get in to the match for just $1.