SEC Roundup: Gators, Gamecocks, Bulldogs, Vols Wins Openers

SEC Roundup

Sept. 21, 2018

The home team won three of the four SEC openers on Friday night, with Tennessee upsetting Auburn in four sets as the lone exception. Florida continued its league dominance, while South Carolina and Georgia also won. The Bulldogs denied LSU a comeback win, closing the Tigers out in five sets.

Florida def. Ole Miss 3-0 (25-17, 25-12, 25-15)

• Florida moved to 10-3, 1-0 SEC; Ole Miss fell to 10-5, 0-1 SEC
• Box Score
• Florida Recap / Ole Miss Recap
• Attendance: 3,345

Notables

• Florida moved to 28-0 in SEC openers under head coach Mary Wise.
• The Gators are now 41-0 all-time against Ole Miss under Wise, 50-3 overall.
• Florida outdid the Rebels in every way, outhitting them .363 to .094 and besting them in aces (13-3), blocks (7-2) and kills (38-26).
• Holly Carlton was the lone player with double-digit kills, posting 10 on a match-high .833 hitting effort (10-0-12) to lead the Gators.
• Rachael Kramer notched five kills and a team-best five blocks for Florida.
• Leah Mulkey and Aubrey Sultemeier turned in seven kills apiece to pace Ole Miss, although neither hit better than .200 (.118 and .190 respectively).
• Ole Miss staved off two Florida match-point tries before Darrielle King pounded down the final kill at 25-15.

Georgia def. LSU 3-1 (25-21, 34-32, 18-25, 16-25, 15-11)

• Georgia moves to 10-2, 1-0 SEC ; LSU falls to 5-7, 0-1 SEC
• Box Score
• Georgia Recap / LSU Recap
• Attendance: 2,178

Notables

• LSU led the match in blocks (14-10) and aces (7-3), but could not keep up offensively, trailing Georgia by 20 kills (75-55) and in hitting efficiency (.257 to .201)
• After hitting .417 and .303 in their two set wins (3 and 4), the Tigers hit -.083 in the Set 5 loss.
• T’ara Ceasar and Rachel Ritchie notched 24 kills apiece for Georgia, each hitting .250 or better. Ceasar just missed a double-double with nine digs.
• Setter Meghan Donovan turned in a double-double, adding 10 digs to her 57 assists.
• Taylor Bannister led LSU with 23 kills and four blocks, while Olivia Beyer chipped in 11 kills and six blocks while hitting at a team-best .500 clip.
• Georgia jumped ahead 6-3 in Set 5 after back to back blocks by Anna Kate Karstens and Mallory Hernandez. LSU pulled within one at 7-6 and 11-10, before the Bulldogs capped the match with a 4-1 run, including two Ceasar putaways.

South Carolina def. Mississippi State 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-18)

• South Carolina moves to 10-1, 1-0 SEC; Mississippi State falls to 4-10, 0-1 SEC
• Box Score
• South Carolina Recap / Mississippi State Recap
• Attendance: 1,028

Notables

• South Carolina hit at a .302 clip in the match, including a .441 effort in Set 1. The Gamecocks boasted a 45-30 lead in kills and a 4-0 edge in aces. The Bulldogs owned a slim 6-5 lead in blocks.
• Mikayla Shields (13), Brittany McLean (10) and Mikayla Robinson (9) led the Gamecocks offensively in kills and efficiency, as each hit .380 or better in the match. Robinson was tops with a .538 clip.
• Aubrey Ezell, who ranks second nationally in aces (0.97), served up four in the match for South Carolina.
• Paige Shaw put down nine kills and Taylor Haskins added eight to pace Mississippi State.
• South Carolina wrapped up the match on an 8-2 run, turning a 17-16 edge into a 25-18 win. Robinson, Shields and McLean each notched two kills in the final rally, while Ezell served up her fourth ace to seal the win.

Tennessee def. Auburn 3-1 (22-25, 25-12, 25-21, 25-13)

• Tennessee moves to 10-3, 1-0 SEC; Auburn falls to 7-4, 0-1 SEC
• Box Score
• Tennessee Recap / Auburn Recap
• Attendance: 1,034

Notables

• Tennesee hit .324 or better in all four sets and notched a .404 effort for the match buoyed by .440+ efforts in Sets 1 and 4. Auburn hit .531 in the opening set, but struggled from there, including a .044 effort in Set 2 and a .000 effort in Set 4.
• Tennessee dominated the offensive side of the ball, racking up 70 kills to just 44 for the Tigers. The Vols also boasted a 7-2 lead in blocks.
• Tessa Grubbs (17), Addisyn Rowe (13) and Alyssa Adreno (12) each turned in double-digit kills and hit .400 or better for the match to pace the Vols.
• Sedona Hansen turned in a double-double with 27 assists and 10 digs as part of the Vols’ 6-2 offense.
• Brenna McIlroy notched 15 kills and eight digs to lead Auburn. Taylor Rowland added 11 kills, but hit just .071 for the match.
• After building a nine-point lead at 20-11, Tennessee capped the four-set win on a 5-1 run, including two Tiger miscues and a Hansen ace.

Standings

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