Special report on the Florida Gators volleyball team:
COLUMBIA, Mo. – In the top-25 SEC battle, the No. 13 Florida volleyball team held on to defeat the No. 24 Missouri Tigers in five sets on Wednesday night in Hearnes Arena.
Florida remains atop the SEC with a 9-1 record in conference play.
The Gators took the first set 25-22, before falling 25-17 in the second frame. Florida went up 2-1 in the match after winning the third set 29-27. Missouri took the fourth set 25-20, but the Gators were victorious in the final frame, winning 15-12.
Florida had four Gators in double-digit kills – Thayer Hall posted a team-high 19, while Holly Carlton added 13. Paige Hammons and Rachael Kramer both pitched in 12 kills apiece on the night.
Marlie Monserez dished out 47 assists in the match to lead the squad.
Allie Gregory led the backcourt defense, recording 16 digs in the match. Hammons and Monserez each recorded 10 digs apiece.
As a squad, Florida registered 13.0 blocks, led by six from Kramer. Monserez added five blocks of her own to tie her career-best mark. Carlton and Lauren Dooley each added four blocks on the night as well.
UF notched eight service aces on the night, led by three from Monserez – tying her career-best mark. Hall added two in the match.
The Gators have break coming up, with the next match coming on Nov. 8 against Ole Miss.
Records
No. 13 Florida (18-3, 9-1 SEC)
No. 24 Missouri (14-5, 6-3 SEC)
How it Happened
* The Gators grabbed the quick lead in the first set, causing Missouri to utilize its first timeout at the 11-5 mark. Out of the break, Florida continued to push, taking an eight-point lead at 17-9. Mizzou battled, cutting UF’s lead to two at 24-22, but Thayer Hall notched her fourth kill of the set to secure the victory.
* Florida hit .359 in the first set with 17 kills, led by four kills from both Rachael Kramer and Hall. Holly Carlton pitched in three in the set as well.
* After the Tigers took the 5-2 lead, Florida rallied with a 6-1 run to pull ahead at the 8-6 mark. Missouri answered with a run of its own, taking the 15-10 lead into the media timeout. Missouri continued to build its lead out of that break, forcing Florida to use its first timeout at the 17-10 mark. The Gators pulled to within four at 21-17, but could not overcome the deficit, falling 25-17.
* Florida only hit .154 in the second set, with Carlton leading the way with four kills.
* The Gators jumped out to a 4-0 lead behind the serves of Thayer Hall, but shortly after, the Tigers went on a 6-0 run of their own to take the lead at 7-5. From that point, the two squads traded points, with Florida taking the 15-14 lead into the media timeout. Missouri went on a 4-0 spurt out the break to regain the lead, but the Gators battled right back, tying the frame at 19-all. The teams continued to trade points, but a Missouri attack error put Florida up 28-27 and the Gators were able to close out the set with a service ace from Rachael Kramer.
* The Gators hit .188 in the third set, but held the Tigers to a .068 clip in the frame. Thayer Hall registered five kills, while Paige Hammons and Holly Carlton both added four in the frame.
* Missouri never trailed in the fourth set, with its largest lead coming at the 16-10 mark. Florida clawed its way back into the set, pulling with two of the Tigers at 17-15, but Mizzou went on a 4-1 spurt late in the set to force the Gators to use a timeout at the 21-16 mark. UF pulled to within two at 22-20, but Missouri closed out the frame on a 3-0 run.
* Florida hit .229 in the fourth set, racking up 14 kills. Hall led the way with six kills, while Hammons pitched in five in the frame.
* The Tigers hopped out to the 8-4 in the final set, but the Gators battled back to within a point at 8-7 behind the serves of Holly Carlton. Florida then went on a 5-2 run to take the 12-10 advantage, forcing a Missouri timeout. The Gators closed out the frame with a 3-2 run to secure the comeback and the match.
* Florida hit .333 in the set, led by four kills from Hall and three kills from Hammons.
Notables
* Marlie Monserez recorded her sixth double-double of the year (47 assists, 10 digs)
* Paige Hammons recorded her third double-double of the season (12 kills, 10 digs)
* Rachael Kramer is now fifth in program history in block assists with 386, surpassing both Kelsey Bowers and Heather Wright in the match
* Rachael Kramer is now seventh in program history in total blocks with 430, surpassing Kelsey Bowers (426)
* Florida is now 8-5 against Missouri in the all-time series
* UF is now 1-3 in five-set matches against the Tigers
* Florida is now 4-1 in five-set matches this season
* The Gators extend their win streak to seven matches, the longest active streak in the SEC
* The Gators are now 3-3 against the Tigers in Columbia, Mo.
Up Next
* The Gators have an eight-day break before heading to Ole Miss on Nov. 8 for a 7:30 p.m. matchup
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