The SEC Streak Continues: Florida Volleyball Wins on the Road

The sixth ranked Florida volleyball team extend its winning streak to 11 after beating the Ole Miss Rebels on the road Friday night.  Another impressive streak? This is the 26th straight SEC opening win under Florida coach Mary Wise.  The Gators finished their SEC opener winning 3-1 (24-26, 25-12, 25-15, 25-16).

The match started slow with the Gators trailing the Rebels all but three times throughout the set.  Florida had a shot at match point, but the Rebels took the first set 26-24.

Everything turned around quickly for the Gators starting in the second set and they didn’t drop another set.  Florida’s standout defense was too much for the Rebels and the Gators stretched their lead to 17-9.  Michigan transfer and star junior libero Caroline Knop (“CK”) lead the defensive efforts with a career high 31 digs on the night.  Freshman Allie Gregory had another career high 12 scoops in the back row.  Coach Mary Wise credits the match to CK’s defensive performance.

https://twitter.com/GatorsVB/status/779490861059104769

The Orange and Blue also picked it up on offense. It was a night full of impressive numbers.  Senior Alex Holston led the team with a career high 18.5 points. Red shirt sophomore setter Allie Monserez (54 assists) had another career night.  Four Florida players- Alhassan, Holston, Snyder, and Kramer- dominated with double-digit kills, including a fourth double-double this season for junior Carli Snyder (16 kills, 12 digs).  Red shirt sophomore Shainah Joseph impressed with an error free seven kills and .467 hitting clip, a season high.  Wise says she is impressed with the teamwork and efficiency of her team this early in the season.

Three players had five or more blocks on the night – Alhassan (7.0), Holston (6.0) and Kramer (5.0) as the Gators posted their fourth double-digit block effort (14.0) in the last five matches.  Wise believes the difference in the match came from a change in the team’s aggression.

Florida volleyball moves to 11-1 on the season and will finish SEC opening weekend against Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Sunday.  Florida is undefeated all-time in program history against the Crimson Tide who are 11-2 on the season.

First serve is slated for 1 on the SEC Network and right here, on ESPN Gainesville 95.3 FM.