Special report on the Florida Gators volleyball team:
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida remained undefeated (13-0, 5-0 SEC) with a thrilling sweep of Georgia Sunday (Oct. 8) afternoon inside Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The No. 1 Gators won the first set handily and ground out two-point wins in the second and third sets, the latter of which saw them turn a 24-19 deficit into a 27-25 win.
Three-time All-American middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan led the Gators’ offense with 14 kills and a .571 hitting percentage. The Glenarden, Md. native added four blocks to total a match-high 17.5 points.
Senior outside hitter Carli Snyder chipped in 10 kills, sophomore middle blocker Rachael Kramer had seven, and fifth-year senior right side Shainah Joseph tallied five. Defensively, four Gators had at least eight digs, including senior libero Caroline Knop, who had a team-high 13. Snyder, Allie Gregory, and Allie Monserez had eight digs apiece. Kramer had seven blocks and setter Cheyenne Huskey had five, helping the Gators to yet another match with double-digit blocks.
The victory elevates Mary Wise’s career win total to 888, tying former Pacific and Stanford head coach John Dunning for the seventh-most wins in Division I history and 13th-most wins in NCAA history (all three divisions).
NOTABLES
- Florida held Georgia to a .075 hitting percentage, marking the fourth time this year it held an opponent under a .100 clip
- The Gators’ 13 blocks tied their second-highest total of the year and highest total in a three-set match this year (Tennessee, Sept. 29)
o Florida has recorded 12-plus blocks in four of its last five matches
- The Gators have never lost a match during the regular season as the nation’s No. 1 team (26-0 record) and boast a 31-2 all-time record at No. 1
- Florida improved its all-time record against Georgia to 62-9, along with a 59-1 mark under head coach Mary Wise
- Florida’s 13-0 start is the fourth-longest winning streak to open a season in school history, trailing 16-0 starts in 1987 and 2007, as well as the 28-0 start to the 1995 campaign
NEXT UP
Florida travels to Oxford, Miss. to face Ole Miss Friday (Oct. 13) night and return home for a Sunday (Oct. 15) showdown with No. 10 Kentucky. The top-10 matchup with Kentucky will be broadcast by SEC Network.