Special report on the Florida Gators volleyball team:
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 4 Gators (22-1, 14-1 SEC) posted their eighth consecutive win Sunday afternoon, topping Missouri (17-10, 10-4), 3-1, on senior day inside Exactech Arena / Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
Fitting given the day, fifth-year senior Shainah Joseph had a career-high 20 kills and just two errors on 34 attempts, registering a .529 hitting percentage. Joseph’s previous career high of 15 kills came in a 3-1 win over Texas A&M back on Oct. 4. The Ottawa, Ont., native also had three block assists for a career-high 21.5 points.
Fellow senior Carli Snyder logged her third consecutive double-double with 13 kills and 16 digs, while three-time All-American Rhamat Alhassan tallied a match-high six blocks. Senior libero Caroline Knop amassed a match-high 18 digs.
Redshirt junior setter Allie Monserez tied her season high with 41 assists, and added 15 digs for her third consecutive double-double. Florida’s offense also got efficient play from sophomore middle blocker Rachael Kramer, who racked up 14 kills and hit .417 for the match.
The Gators seized command of the first set with a 6-2 run that broke a 7-7 tie. After dropping the second set, 25-23, with nine errors, Florida found itself trailing 24-21 in the third. Two Missouri errors, followed by consecutive blocks from Alhassan, and another Tigers error-all with sophomore defensive specialist Allie Gregory serving-produced a 26-24 comeback win. The Gators found some footing offensively in the fourth, hitting .333 with 17 kills to end the match with a 25-16 win.
The victory moves Florida back atop the Southeastern Conference standings, as they lead Kentucky by a half-game.
NOTABLES
* Florida has held its opponent below a .185 hitting percentage in 21 of its 23 matches this season
* Four different Gators recorded double-digit digs for a second consecutive match
* Shainah Joseph has three career matches with 15-plus points-two of which have come this season
* Seven of Joseph’s eight career matches with 10-plus kills have come this season
* Joseph is hitting .430 with 82 kills and only 14 errors on 157 swings in her last seven matches (24 sets)
* Carli Snyder has 20 double-doubles in her last two seasons after recording seven altogether as an underclassman
* Rachael Kramer has 13 matches with double-digit kills this season after only have five all of last year
* Florida improved its all-time record against Missouri to 6-4
* Head coach Mary Wise now boasts 816 victories at Florida, which ties longtime SUNY Cortland head coach Joan Sitterly (1984-04) for the ninth-most wins at one school in NCAA history (all three divisions, first volleyball season in 1981)
UP NEXT
Florida heads to Texas A&M Wednesday night. It will be the only match of the week for the Gators, who will play their final home match of the season the following Wednesday against Auburn. ESPNU will televise this week’s match, and Tom Collett will have the radio call for ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM / 850 AM.