The eighth ranked Florida volleyball team racked up its eighth straight victory with a 3-1 decision at South Carolina Wednesday night.
The Gators (13-3, 7-0 SEC) used 19 kills from sophomore right side Alex Holston and season-best performances from junior outside hitter Živa Recek and senior defensive specialist Maddy Monserez to help down the Gamecocks (13-5, 3-3 SEC) at the Carolina Volleyball Center. Junior Mackenzie Dagostino added 48 assists of her own, and Rhamat Alhassan added five kills, five digs and two service aces.
After falling to the Gamecocks in the first game 25-19, the Gators rebounded with a 25-18 second set, then proceeded to hit .393 in the third game for a 25-13 wire-to-wire set win. The Orange and Blue won a battle in the fourth to close out the match 25-19 in a mid-week clash that featured 22 ties and five lead changes.
South Carolina came into the match as the SEC leader in digs and blocks, but Florida posted 10 blocks to South Carolina’s four, and out-dug the Gamecocks 61 to 51.
Recek notched a season-best 12 kills and hit .357 on the night, while Monserez scooped up a season-best 18 digs to lead the Florida back row, as UF had zero reception errors for the third time in SEC play. Holston boasted a .366 clip, 23 points and was just two digs shy of a double-double, with eight scoops, and two service aces.
The Gamecocks also became the 11th opponent this season that Florida has limited to a .197 hitting efficiency or lower, including all SEC foes so far.
Gator head coach Mary Wise credited her entire squad for the victory, fighting off an early start from South Carolina.
“The story of the season has been on any given night, any one of our players can step up and be difference makers,” Wise said. “Tonight it was Živa Recek; she, along with Maddy Monserez and Alex Holston, led our team, but we got great production by a lot of people. That’s the only way we beat a team that played this well in this environment.”
The Orange and Blue return home Sunday for a match up against Arkansas in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The Gators are 35-2 all-time against the Razorbacks, all under head coach Mary Wise. UF owns an undefeated 15-0 record at home against Arkansas and has won 12 straight in the history of the series.
You can catch Sunday’s matinee on ESPN 850 WRUF.
For postgame comments from coach Wise, click below:
Wise talks about the play of Holston, Monserez, and Alhassan
Wise discusses the play of Recek