Gator Volleyball Dominates in College Station

The Florida volleyball team picks up its ninth straight win and after dominant performances by Rhamat Alhassan and Caroline Knop the Gators got that win with a sweep at Texas A&M on Wednesday night.

#GatorsWWWWWWWWWin! What a night for @ra_montie!

Just. Keep. Winning. pic.twitter.com/UdKv7mlDIl

— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) November 16, 2017

Starting Strong

With all of the praise this Gator team gets, it sometimes does have an issue; starting fast.  Usually, the team falls behind early and digs itself out of a hole. This was not the case tonight. Two 5-0 runs to begin the first two sets slingshotted the Gators out in front early. Rarely giving the lead back, A&M was beaten early and often.

A big part of the hot start was sophomore middle hitter Rachael Kramer. Getting four kills during the first 5-0 run helped jump the Gators to a 10-4 lead in the first set. Kramer looked great until rolling her ankle soon after the run and having to miss the rest of the set. She would return and help put the game away.

Another great performance by Rhamat Alhassan. Leading the team in both kills (13) and blocks (5), Alhassan was dominant both offensively and defensively. Florida coach Mary Wise spoke about her performance after the game saying that she picked up the slack for others who were struggling early in the match.

https://twitter.com/GatorsVB/status/930953475651002368

While the front line spikes were a big factor, the serving was a major reason why UF was able to run away with it early. Freshman outside hitter Paige Hammons looked like a seasoned veteran with two of Florida’s five aces and had five kills of her own from the back line.

Strong Offense Stronger Defense

Coming into this game, the Gators knew that an offensive battle was likely. Offensive studs like Kiara McGee and Hollan Hans would be hard to stop and early on they were.

McGee and Hans combined for 15 kills in the first two sets and gave the Florida front line a lot of trouble. Great digs by libero Knop and clutch blocks by Alhassan late in the match helped the Gators remain ahead even with the onslaught of spikes by the Aggies.

Wise had much praise for her senior libero’s play.

Much Deserved Week Off

The Gators finally get a break in the schedule to rest up.  Florida is off until next Wednesday when it hosts Auburn at 7 PM.  The break could help the Gators be a fresher and more rested team that will hopefully finish the regular season strong heading into the post-season.