Special report on the Florida Gators volleyball team:
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The No. 11 Florida Gators defeated the FSU Seminoles in four sets on Wednesday night during the Fresh From Florida Sunshine Showdown.
The Gators won the first two sets with a score of 25-22, before falling in the third set, 25-16. Florida battled back to win the fourth set 25-19 and take the match.
Thayer Hall led the Gators in kills for the fifth match of the season, totaling 12 during the match.
As a squad, the Gators recorded a season-high 14 blocks, seven of which came from Rachael Kramer.
Florida returns back from its four-match road stand with the Honda of Gainesville Gators Invitational on Friday and Saturday. Jacksonville, FIU and Army are the other three schools in attendance for the tournament.
How it Happened
– The Gators got off to the early 7-1 lead in the first set, aided by two kills and a block by Taelor Kellum. FSU pulled to within two points at 17-15 but four kills from the Gators and three Seminole errors secured the victory for Florida.
o UF hit .192 in the frame, led by three kills apiece from both Rachael Kramer and Taelor Kellum. The Gators notched five blocks in the set, with Kramer and Holly Carlton both picking up three.
– UF once again took an early lead in the second set, this time stepping out in front with a score of 8-2. Paige Hammons had three kills during that stretch and FSU combined for three errors. Florida continued to hold onto a sizeable advantage throughout the set, but Florida State battled back to within two points at 24-22. Senior Taelor Kellum took control, recording a kill for the final point to put Florida up 2-0.
o The Gators recorded a .258 hit clip in the second set, led by three kills from Hammons.
– Florida State got off to a big lead in the third set and the Gators just could not over the deficit. The Seminoles led 11-3 before Florida got to within five points at 12-7, but FSU closed out the set on a 13-8 run to force a fourth game.
o Florida only recorded eight kills in the third set, hitting .069 as a squad. Kellum had three kills in the frame, while Hall and Haley Warner both recorded two.
– The teams were trading points throughout the first portion of the set before Florida took a 15-9 lead on a solo block by Rachael Kramer. The Gators recorded five kills and two blocks to finish out the set and clinch their sixth victory of the season.
o UF recorded 13 kills on a .290 hitting clip throughout the final set, including five kills by Thayer Hall and four by Rachael Kramer
Notables
– Thayer Hall finished the match with 12 kills, leading the squad
– Hall has now had double-digit kills in all but one match on the year, putting her at eight total
– Rachael Kramer and Holly Carlton both added nine kills apiece
– Allie Monserez and Marlie Monserez split setting responsibilities during the match, finishing with 19 and 13 assists, respectively
– Allie Gregory finished with 14 digs and Allie Monserez posted 11 of her own, totaling her fourth double-double of the season
– Florida hit .212 as a squad, totaling 43 kills on 118 attempts
– UF forced FSU into 26 hitting errors and recorded 14 blocks – a season-high
– Rachael Kramer set a new season-high in blocks, recording seven in the match. Holly Carlton added five blocks of her own
– The Gators move to 41-20 all-time against the Seminoles
– Florida moves to 13-5 in 4-set matches against FSU
– UF is now 14-9 in Tully Gymnasium
Thoughts From Coach Wise
– “This was a typical Florida-Florida State match, with both teams playing extremely hard. It might not have been the cleanest match, but it made for great drama.”
Up Next
– The Gators return to Exactech Arena on Friday for the Honda of Gainesville Gators Invitational
– Florida plays Jacksonville at 12 p.m., followed with a match against FIU at 7 p.m.
– UF then closes out the Invitational against Army West Point on Saturday at 2 p.m.
– All three matches will be streamed on the SEC Network +
– Radio broadcast will be available on ESPN 98.1FM/850AM