Florida Volleyball Sweeps in Round One Against New Hampshire, Next Up is FSU

Gator volleyball came out strong on the hardwood entering the first round of the NCAA Tournament.  Florida took down New Hampshire in three sets with scores of 25-15, 25-9, and 25-15.  The Wildcats were held under a .100 hitting efficiency by the Gators and even dipped to -.226 in the second set.  Florida head coach Mary Wise says despite the loss UNH took, there is still a lot of respect for the Wildcats who have three title in the America East Conference.

Offensively the Gators clicked.  Right side hitter Alex Holston had ten kills on the night with no errors.  She says it’s all about the chemistry she has with setter Mackenzie Dagostino and great passing from the back row.  While UNH had 24 hitting errors on the night with only 18 total kills, the Gators were able to rack up 39 total kills and only five errors.  Florida outside hitter Ziva Recek says the team focused on being low-error and finding ways to score in the empty space on the court.

Three Gators, middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan, Recek, and Holston, all had ten kills each.  Florida setter Mackenzie Dagostino says there were a lot of offensive options during the game with the help of some solid passes.  All in all, Wise says the team played well all around on the court and they are excited to head to round two.

After a quick win over New Hampshire Thursday night, the Gators are already back in gear for the second round of the NCAA Tournament.  Florida State took down Arizona State in three sets as well on Thursday night.  Florida and Florida State met earlier in the regular season and will now face each other in a very tough second round match.  The Gators defeated the Seminoles three sets to one during their first encounter, but Florida head coach Mary Wise says it will be a tough match as both teams have just come off a win.  Last match Florida had an outstanding defensive performance with 71 digs on the night.

However, the biggest threat on the Seminoles side lies in the outside hitter position; Nicole Walch.  Walch hit .400 during their match against Arizona State with 16 kills.  Wise says Walch is one of the best hitters in the country and will be a tough to defend against.

Florida and Florida State will go head-to-head in the O’Dome Friday night at 7:00 PM. Live coverage will begin here at 6:50 PM on ESPN Gainesville 95.3 FM.