Gator Volleyball Continues Win Streak with Fifth Straight Sweep

There’s nothing better than entering the tougher part of the season with a win before those games to boost your confidence.

Well, that’s exactly what the situation is for the 6-1 Florida Gator volleyball team that is entering into a tough part of the season with a five-match winning streak.

After a successful weekend at the Spartan Invitational a week ago, the Gators added on two more wins with their Blackbird Invitational appearance this past weekend in New York. Though they only played two games, the Gators made sure their presence was known.

The Invitational began on Saturday morning for the Gators, when they met the 6-4 Denver Pioneers on the court. The Gators quickly wrapped that match up without dropping a set, leaving the court with a 3-0 win over the Pioneers (25-17, 25-20, 25-11). Saturday morning’s match was a Gator-dominated one, with the Gator’s going on an 11-3 run in the first set. Rightside hitter Alex Holston led the Gators to a 5-0 start during the second set with her serves and outside hitter Carli Snyder ended the match in the third with one of her 11 kills.  Junior middle blocker and captain Rhamat Alhassan dominated in the match against the Pioneers, recording 15 kills and five blocks. Alhassan led the team in points, leaving the court with 18.

Sunday afternoon saw the Gators meet up for a match against the 1-8 hosting team, LIU Brooklyn. In only three sets, the Gators dismantled the Blackbirds for their fifth straight sweep and their sixth straight win, (25-14, 25-14, 25-18). Gator coach Mary Wise used this match to switch up her starting lineup and was able sub in a majority of her players. The Gators left the court with a total of seven aces, three from Holston and one from Allie Gregory. Freshman Chanelle Hargreaves added another two aces with Lindsey Rogers adding one as well.

Sweep, sweep! #Gators finish the Blackbird Invitational with a sweep of LIU Brooklyn to improve to 6-1 this season! pic.twitter.com/hec5yfIFpd

— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) September 11, 2016

Both Alhassan and Allie Monserez were named to the Blackbird Invitational All-Tournament Team.

After three straight weekends on the road, one of the main concerns for Mary Wise is that the team only has one day of practice before their highly anticipated match against their in-state rivals.

The Gators will take the court on Wednesday evening in Tallahassee for a match against the Florida State Seminoles. The first serve is set for 6 p.m.