Special report on the Florida Gators volleyball team:
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Senior outside hitter Carli Snyder notched the 1000th kill of her career and Rachael Kramer dominated with efficiency to lead the No. 4 Gators to a sweep of Alabama. Florida bounced back from its only loss of the season and improved to 15-1 overall and 7-1 in Southeastern Conference play.
Kramer tallied a match-high 13 kills, without an error, on 22 attacks for a .591 hitting percentage. The sophomore middle blocker added three blocks to total 14.5 points, a career high for a three-set match. Kramer’s 13 kills tied her three-set career high, which she set against Northern Kentucky (Sept. 15) earlier this season.
Snyder entered the match with 991 career kills, and she reached the century mark when she put the Gators up, 16-9, in the second set. The Macomb, Mich., native finished with team highs in kills (15) and points (16). Snyder also posted 11 digs, recording her sixth double-double of the season.
Senior libero Caroline Knop and three-time All-American Rhamat Alhassan spearheaded the strong defensive effort, leading the team in digs (18) and blocks (six), respectively.
Florida’s defense limited Alabama to an .053 hitting percentage. It is the sixth time this season the Gators held their opponent under a .100 hitting percentage. Four of those occurrences have been in SEC matches.
Next up for Florida is a Sunday match at Auburn. First serve is slated for 2:30 p.m. ET, and broadcast information is below.
NOTABLES
- Rachael Kramer hit better than .500 (with at least 15 attempts) for the sixth time in her career and for the fourth time this season
- Kramer has double-digit kills in eight matches this year, already well ahead of the five she had as a freshman last season
- Rhamat Alhassan finished with five-plus blocks for the 12th time this year
- Cheyenne Huskey led the team in assists (19) for only the second time this season
- Carli Snyder’s 15 kills were the second-highest total of her career in a three-set match
- Snyder has 17 double-doubles in her last 47 matches after only posting seven in her first two seasons as a Gator
- The Gators recorded double-digit blocks for a fifth consecutive match and for the 13th time in 16 matches this year
- Florida improved its overall record against Alabama to 44-0, and to 42-0 under head coach Mary Wise
(COACH) WISE’S WORDS
Head coach Mary Wise’s overall thoughts on the match…
“It’s the best ball-control Alabama team we’ve seen in a while. Their backcourt defense was stellar tonight and required us to stay patient offensively. Our offensive production, a lot of it came from Carli (Snyder) and Rachael (Kramer), who were really efficient tonight.
Wise on Kramer’s performance…
“Rachael affected the match in all sorts of ways, both offensively and defensively. She was a huge presence.”
BROADCAST INFORMATION | Match Notes
Sunday, Oct. 22 at Auburn | 2:30 p.m. ET
Streaming: SEC Network + (via Watch ESPN) | Radio: Audio Stream [Tom Collett] (also available via ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM / 850 AM) | Live Stats
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Auburn (11-7, 4-5 SEC) | 2016 synopsis: 15-16 overall, 9-9 SEC
- Series History: Florida leads, 45-2 (41-1 under Mary Wise)
- 3-set: 34-0 | 4-set: 9-1 | 5-set: 2-1
- Home: 22-0 | Away: 20-2 | Neutral: 3-0
- Last Time Out: Nov. 23, 2016 in Gainesville à W, 3-1 (25-21, 22-25, 25-19, 25-14)