Special report on the Florida Gators volleyball team:
ATHENS, Ga. – The No. 15 Florida volleyball team swept the Georgia Bulldogs on the road to move to 14-2 in SEC play.
The Gators are now tied with Kentucky for first place in the league with each team having two matches left to play in the regular season.
Florida won the first set in dominating fashion, earning the 25-13 victory. The Gators followed with another stellar performance in the second set, winning 25-14 to go up 2-0 in the match. UF closed out the match with another strong showing in the third, winning 25-13 in the final set.
As a team, Florida recorded 43 kills with just three errors on 78 swings for a .531 clip. Rachael Kramer led the way with 14 kills, while Holly Carlton added 10 kills of her own. Paige Hammons and Thayer Hall both pitched in seven kills in the sweep.
Five Gators hit over .300 on the afternoon: Kramer (.700 | 14-0-20), Hammons (.700 | 7-0-10), Carlton (.600 | 10-1-15), Lauren Dooley (.375 | 4-1-8) and Hall (.300 | 7-1-20).
Marlie Monserez dished out 32 assists on the afternoon, leading the team to a season-high .531 clip.
Allie Gregory led the backcourt defense, recording eight digs on the afternoon. Monserez added seven, while Hall registered six digs on the afternoon.
Florida recorded 11.0 blocks on the day, to Georgia’s 0.0. Kramer led the way with five blocks, while Dooley and Hammons both added four on the afternoon. With Kramer’s fifth block of the match, she tied Aycan Gokberk for sixth place in Florida program history.
UF registered six service aces, while Morgyn Greer leading the way with a career-high three.
The Gators are back in action on Wednesday when the Arkansas Razorbacks come to town. First serve is slated for 5 p.m. on the SEC Network +.
Records
No. 15 Florida (23-4, 14-2)
Georgia (19-9, 11-6)
How it Happened
* Florida jumped out to the early 11-5 lead in the first set – behind eight kills from the Gator offense – forcing Georgia to use its first timeout of the frame. Out of the break, UF continued its run, going up 13-5 to force the Bulldogs’ second timeout. The Gators continued their stellar performance in the set, taking as large as a 13-point lead at 24-11. Georgia staved off two set points from Florida, but the Gators closed it out on a block from Dooley and Carlton.
* Florida hit .500 in the frame, while holding the Bulldogs to a .167 clip. Kramer led the way with six kills, while Hammons and Dooley each pitched in three apiece.
* With the second set tied 2-2, the Gators went on a 6-1 spurt to force UGA to utilize its first timeout at the 8-3 mark. Florida continued to hold at least a three-point advantage through the middle of the set and forced UGA into its second timeout after going up 15-9. From that point on, the Gators closed the frame on a 10-5 run to go up 2-0 in the match.
* The Gators hit .367 in the frame, while holding UGA to a .031 hitting percentage. Hall registered five kills in the set, while Carlton added four of her own.
* The two squads were trading points early in the set, but Florida opened a 6-2 run to cause Georgia to use a timeout at the 12-7 mark. The Gators continued to push, going up 20-10 late in the frame. UGA pulled to within nine at 20-11, but the Gators closed out the match with a 5-3 run.
* Florida hit an outstanding .812 in the final set, led by five kills apiece from Kramer and Carlton.
Notables
* The Gators hit .513 in the match – a season-high mark
* Florida is now 14-2 in SEC play, tied with Kentucky for first place with each team having two matches left to play
* Rachael Kramer is now tied for sixth in program history for blocks with 451 (Aycan Gokberk)
* Florida moves to 66-9 against Georgia in the all-time series
* The Gators are now 48-4 in three-set matches against the Bulldogs
* UF improves to 28-4 in Athens, Ga.
* Florida moves to 15-2 in three-set matches this season
* The Gators have now won at least 23 matches in 29 consecutive seasons – every year in Wise’s tenure
Thoughts from Coach Wise
* “This was one of our most complete matches of the season. We had great focus and production from everyone – not just in the match, but with the preparation leading up to the match.”
Up Next
* The Gators are back in action on Wednesday when the team faces Arkansas
* First serve is slated for 5 p.m. on the SEC Network +
No. 15 Florida vs. Arkansas Broadcast Information
Time & Date: Wednesday, Nov. 27 | 5 p.m.
TV Network: SEC Network + | Live Stream: WatchESPN<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.espn.com_watch-3Fid-3Db6dcdc5a-2D2193-2D4a9a-2D824d-2D57a77a47d5e3&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=JL7RRECAZutaw-NuzcR3dE3ZATYqt-T0RoaFfZg0FN4&s=XRkd2iYTDV4-P6gTw2l3EsGwhEbxZzPwN4VS1jyKeAs&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=JL7RRECAZutaw-NuzcR3dE3ZATYqt-T0RoaFfZg0FN4&s=lT_ht3VnhRMiniTCTeW6QUeNSH3JJQMiGruimuetN1E&e= > | Radio: ESPN 98.1 FM/850AM<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__radio.securenetsystems.net_cirruscontent_WRUFAM&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=JL7RRECAZutaw-NuzcR3dE3ZATYqt-T0RoaFfZg0FN4&s=2mR98QHbLfGTeG7ytkLddsdlO8Qg7JCQnZpwUANJNpE&e= >
Series Information – No. 15 Florida vs. Arkansas
* This is the 47th meeting between the two schools
* Florida leads: 43-3 (43-3 under Mary Wise)
* 3-set: 24-1 | 4-set: 14-0 | 5-set: 5-2
* Home: 19-0 | Away: 18-2 | Neutral: 6-1
* Last Time Out: Oct. 11, 2019 | Fayetteville, Ark. | W, 3-0 (26-24, 25-16, 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=JL7RRECAZutaw-NuzcR3dE3ZATYqt-T0RoaFfZg0FN4&s=J6qx8HqcsECdLeDkJm2spEtJTwe00j9s9XZehby-nqM&e= > | Call: 352-375-4683 x6800 (Open M-F, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.)
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