Special to GC
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Gator Nation got its first real feel of the electric game-day atmosphere in the Lemerand Athletic Center when a capacity crowd of 723 watched the No. 7 Gators sweep Sunshine State foe Jacksonville 25-12, 25-18, 25-20 in their second of two matches Friday to open the Active Ankle Challenge.
With the Rowdy Reptiles out in full effect and a packed house, Florida chalked up its ninth straight victory to improve to 9-1 on the season with its second sweep of the day<http://floridagators.com/news/2016/9/16/volleyball-no-7-florida-opens-active-ankle-challenge-with-sweep-of-famu.aspx?path=volleyball> after blanking FAMU at noon.
Florida’s veterans Rhamat Alhassan (11k, 3b), Alex Holston (9k, 2b) and Carli Snyder (15k, 1 ace) collaborated for 39.5 of Florida’s 53 points against the Dolphins, Snyder just one kill shy of her season high 16, thanks in part to redshirt sophomore setter Allie Monserez’s 41 assists. Monserez bested her previous three-set assist figure (38) which was tops in the SEC entering the day.
The Dolphins battled through the evening, keeping the Gators at bay and closing the score differential in each set as the match went on, ending with a 25-20 third-set score.
It was another stellar night for freshman middle Rachael Kramer, who paced the Orange and Blue with a .556 clip, zero errors and a team-tying three blocks against Jacksonville. Since the Gators’ tilt with No. 13 FSU Wednesday, Kramer has hit a team best .559 with 21 kills, just two errors and a team high 14 total blocks.
Junior libero Caroline Knop continued to be a stabilizer for UF in the back row with 13 digs, her second most in a three-setter in 2016, while the defensive play and serving of freshman Allie Gregory continued to be a highlight for the Gators, who will look to ride the momentum into their Active Ankle Challenge finale against Marshall Saturday at 4 p.m. FAMU and Jacksonville will play just prior to UF at 2 p.m.
READ: Alex Peterman | A Different Home, But Still Home Sweet Home for the Gators<http://floridagators.com/news/2016/9/16/volleyball-a-different-home-but-still-home-sweet-home-for-gators.aspx>
WORDS FROM WISE
“It was a match we’ve seen before – an in-state team playing so well against us. I thought Jacksonville did so many good things: what they did offensively, some of the balls they brought back. We had to play well to win that in three.”
THE RECORDS
No. 7 Florida: 9-1
Jacksonville: 3-8
NOTABLES & TRENDS
* Florida moved to 18-0 all-time against Jacksonville, 16-0 all-time in three-set matches against the Dolphins and 11-0 at home against JU
* Florida added its second sweep of the day and its seventh sweep in eight matches
* The Orange and Blue made it nine straight wins and notched their second match this season being perfect on serve receive with zero reception errors
* The Gators limited FAMU to an .065 clip Friday afternoon and followed by holding Jacksonville to an .073 efficiency. UF has now held seven opponents to a .200 clip or lower
* Florida’s main offensive point scorers continued to roll Friday. Rhamat Alhassan made it five double-digit kill matches this season with her 11 slams against JU, while Carli Snyder now has eight double-digit kill matches. Alex Holston has reached double-digit points in nine contests for the Gators in 2016