Written by Shauni Lynch
No. 7 Florida had a remarkable night all around the court with their win against Alabama (25-13, 25-23, 25-20). In the three set sweep, the Gators defeated the Crimson Tide improving to 19-3, and remaining undefeated in the SEC, 13-0.
A Friday night game called for a rowdy crowd in the O’Connell Center. The Gators stayed true to their authority on the court starting off strong in the first set, limiting Alabama (19-6, 7-4 SEC) to 13 points. In this set, senior libero Holly Pole served eight straight points. In a heated second set and third set, Florida’s strong offense and defense got the W to mark it’s 11th SEC sweep of the season.
Last week, sophomore right side Alex Holston was named the ESPN Capital One Cup Performance of the Week after her impressive play at Georgia. This week, Holston registered a season best hitting efficiency at .600, in addition to her 16 kills, four digs and four blocks. Pole also has had an incredible past two games. She was awarded SEC Defensive Player of the Week after her performance at Georgia and continued her dominance in this match with a career-tying four serving aces, three of which were in the first set.
For the 16th time this season, Florida has yet again limited an opponents hitting efficiency to below .197, keeping Bama to a .169.The Gators continue to prove their power on the court and the SEC with this win marking its 14th consecutive victory and sixth straight sweep.
The Gators will stay in the O’Dome for their next match against Auburn (10-14, 2-9 SEC) Wednesday, Nov. 12. Last time the two met, the Orange and Blue swept the Tigers in both team’s SEC opener on Sept. 26. UF holds a 42-1 record against Auburn and an undefeated 19-0 at home. The match will be broadcast live on the SEC Network at 7 p.m.