Special report on the Florida Gators volleyball team:
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 11 Florida volleyball team defeated the USF Bulls on Friday afternoon, winning 3-1 in Exactech Arena.
The Gators took the first two sets, 25-22 and 25-20, respectively, before falling 25-19 in the third set. Florida then rallied to win the fourth set 25-13.
Thayer Hall led the offense attack for Florida, recording 14 kills on the day. Holly Carlton added 11 kills of her own, while Darrielle King and Paige Hammons each pitched in seven during the match.
Marlie Monserez dished out 31 assists during the afternoon, as well as a career-high six kills.
Allie Gregory led the way with 11 digs on the afternoon, while Monserez added nine. Three players (Paige Hammons, Thayer Hall and Paula Cerame) all pitched in eight digs in the match.
Florida notched seven blocks as a team, led by four from Lauren Dooley.
The Gators are back in action Friday evening against James Madison at 7 p.m. The match will be streamed on the SEC Network + and will be broadcast on ESPN Gainesville 98.1FM/850AM.
Records
No. 11 Florida (3-2)
South Florida (3-4)
How it Happened
* Florida got into a hole early in the first set against the Bulls, down 10-6. The Gators clawed their way out with a 9-3 run, taking the 15-13 lead. USF got back to within a point, but Florida strung together another run to take the 21-16 lead. UF held onto that momentum, winning the frame 25-22.
* The Gators hit a solid. 343 in the first set, racking up 16 kills as a squad. Rachael Kramer and Holly Carlton both notched four kills in the first frame, while Thayer Hall added three.
* The Gators once again found themselves with an early deficit, falling behind 7-4. From that point on, the Gators went on a 15-6 run to take the 19-13 lead late in the frame. After a Paige Hammons kills, Florida had its largest lead at 21-14. Florida had set point at 24-16, but USF held on with a 4-0 run before an attack error gave Florida the 2-0 lead in the match.
* Florida hit .300 in the second set and held USF to a .214 clip. Darrielle King, Paige Hammons and Thayer Hall all pitched in three kills during the frame.
* Similar to the first two sets, the Gators found themselves in a deficit early in the frame, but UF was unable to close the difference in the third set. USF held a nine-point lead at 20-11, the largest lead of the frame for the Bulls. Florida continued to battle, going on a 5-1 run to bring it to within five at 23-18, but USF closed out the frame to push the match to a fourth set.
* UF only hit ,176 in the third set, led by five kills from Thayer Hall and four from Holly Carlton.
* Florida held control of the fourth set from the jump and did not look back. The Gators held as much as a 10-point lead at the 19-10, then closed out the match on a 6-3 run, including two service aces by Paige Hammons to secure the victory.
* The Gators hit .344 in the fourth set and held the Bulls to just a .036 hit clip. Thayer Hall and Marlie Monserez led the way in the frame, both recording three kills.
Notables
* Thayer Hall led the Gators in kills for the fourth time this season
* Marlie Monserez recorded a new career-high in kills, posting six on the afternoon
* Florida moves to 29-3 all-time against the Bulls
* The Gators are now 10-1 in four-set matches against USF
* UF continues its perfect record at home against USF, moving to 16-0
* The Gators move to 511-67 all-time at Florida
Thoughts from Coach Wise
* “Over the years we have seen this in terms of playing in-state teams. They are always well-prepared to play hard and South Florida definitely did that this afternoon.”
Up Next
* The Gators continue the Honda of Gainesville Gators Invitational with a matchup against James Madison at 7 p.m.
No. 11 Florida vs. James Madison Broadcast Information
Time & Date: Friday, Sept. 13 | 7 p.m.
Live Stream: SEC Network + <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.espn.com_watch-3Fid-3D0be20d12-2Dece1-2D4170-2Da49a-2Dee8a9294ee56&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=c2YvVU4wUF9wpDZ3vrt8pO8YH4229VAs6K34jJmh1G4&s=bshRfDjHbk1Z8qDQ1VVT_32k9MssWxzGXKBQBL-TuuY&e= > | Live Stats: Sidearm<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_sidearmstats_wvball_summary&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=c2YvVU4wUF9wpDZ3vrt8pO8YH4229VAs6K34jJmh1G4&s=_LwrRZ3d_Iipv3ygaYVysLycwJ7kZczkwLFGGRVeDKU&e= > | Radio: ESPN 98.1FM/850AM<http://www.wruf.com/listen-live/>
Series Information – No. 11 Florida vs. James Madison
* This is the second meeting between the two schools
* Florida leads: 1-0 (1-0 under Mary Wise)
* 3-set: 1-0 | 4-set: 0-0 | 5-set: 0-0
* Home: 0-0 | Away: 1-0 | Neutral: 0-0
* Last Time Out: Aug. 29, 2015 | Harrisonburg, Va. | W, 3-0 (25-16, 32-30, 25-18)
TICKET INFO | Gator Ticket Office Online<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__floridagators.com_sports_2015_12_10_-5Ftickets-5Fvolleyball-5F.aspx&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=c2YvVU4wUF9wpDZ3vrt8pO8YH4229VAs6K34jJmh1G4&s=sJx2ShfIvwSGQsJqVSRw0OWNiWY23rHRGY1X5rTE7ls&e= > | Call: 352-375-4683 x6800 (Open M-F, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.)
Season Ticket Prices:
* Reserved (Sections 09*, 11*, 13*, 15*, 23, 25, 27, 29) – $50 [all ages]
* General Admission (All other lower bowl areas) – $35 [ages 13 and up]
* Courtside Season Pass (subject to availability) – $150 [all ages]
* Loge Seating (subject to availability) [in front of the Sideline Club] – $75 [all ages]
Single-Match Ticket Prices:
* Reserved (Sections 09*, 11*, 13*, 15*, 23, 25, 27, 29) | $6 [all ages]
* General Admission (All other lower bowl areas) | $4 [ages 13 and up] / FREE [ages 12 and under]
* Student General Admission – FREE [with valid Gator1 ID]