Special report on the Florida Gators volleyball team:
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 11 Florida Gators earned their second SEC sweep of the weekend on Sunday, defeating the Mississippi State Bulldogs in three sets.
UF took the first set 25-12, followed by a 25-21 win in the second set. The Gators then secured the match victory with a 25-14 win in the final set.
With the win, Florida moves to 2-0 in the SEC for the 26th time under head coach Mary Wise.
Paige Hammons led the Gators offensively, posting a career-high 11 kills and no errors with a .550 hit clip. Taelor Kellum and Mia Sokolowski both pitched in eight kills of their own in the match.
The Monserezs combined for 30 of the team’s 36 assists, with Allie Monserez dishing out 16 and Marlie Monserez handing out 14.
Allie Gregory had a great match from behind the service line, notching three service aces to pair with her 11 digs.
Rachael Kramer was a force at the net, recording six blocks.
The Gators return to action on Wednesday, Sept. 26 against LSU in Baton Rouge, La. The matchup is set for 8 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.
How it Happened
– Florida took control from the start, never trailing in the first set. The aggressive serving by the Gators, paired with 13 Mississippi State errors allowed UF to win the set by a +13 margin.
o The Gators hit .524 in the first set, racking up 12 kills in the process. Taelor Kellum and Mia Sokolowski led the way with four apiece, while Paige Hammons added two of her own.
– The second set was a back-and-forth affair, with the teams trading points throughout the first portion of the frame. With the score tied 11-11, Florida gave itself some breathing room after a kill apiece from Thayer Hall and Paige Hammons and held on to at least a two-point lead the rest of the way before winning the set, 25-21.
o Florida hit .405 in the second frame, thanks in part to six kills by Paige Hammons. Taelor Kellum, Holly Carlton and Mia Sokolowski each pitched in three.
– The Gators jumped out to an early 8-1 lead in the third set, swinging all of the momentum in their direction. Florida would take advantage of eight Mississippi State errors and total six more kills over the rest of the set to get the team’s second SEC sweep.
o UF only hit .167 in the third frame, but it was enough to secure the match victory and move Florida to 11-3 on the year. Paige Hammons posted three kills in the frame and Thayer Hall added two.
Notables
– Paige Hammons’s 11 kills ties her career-best (set at Arkansas on 9/24/17)
– She also posted a career-best 13.5 points
– The Gators held Mississippi State to a .097 hitting percentage throughout the match – the sixth time this season an opponent has hit under .100
– Taelor Kellum and Mia Sokolowski each registered eight kills
– Allie Gregory and Thayer Hall both posted 11 digs
– Florida moves to 50-0 all-time against the Bulldogs
– UF has started off 2-0 in the SEC for the 26th time under head coach Mary Wise – the only two times this was not achieved was 2006 and 2015
– The Gators are now 46-0 in three-set matches against Mississippi State
– Florida improves to 24-0 against the Bulldogs in Gainesville
– UF is now 4-0 in three-set matches this season
Thoughts from Coach Wise
– “The highlights of this match would have to be the continuing performance of Paige Hammons – especially her offensive numbers – and the way Allie Gregory took control over the backcourt defense.”
Players’ Corner
Allie Gregory
– “All week in practice we have been talking about finding the answers to how we win a game and how we can execute our game plan. We did that this weekend and made a name for ourselves as an aggressive serving team. We executed really well this weekend.”
Taelor Kellum
– “We did a good job following the game plan as a team this weekend. One thing we want to be known for is when Dave [Boos] sets up the plan, we want to really execute that. We are doing a great job of that so far – we can be a bit more physical, but other than I think we are doing well.”
Up Next
– Florida is on the road for a SEC matchup with LSU on Wednesday
– The match is slated for a 8 p.m. start and will be broadcast on the SEC Network
– The Gators hold the 42-13 series advantage over the Tigers
No. 11 Florida at LSU Broadcast Information
Time & Date: Wednesday, Sept. 26 | 8 p.m. ET
TV: SEC Network
Live Stream: WatchESPN<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.espn.com_watch_-5F_id_3401304_florida-2Dvs-2Dlsu-2Dw-2Dvolleyball&d=DwIFAg&c=pZJPUDQ3SB9JplYbifm4nt2lEVG5pWx2KikqINpWlZM&r=6MG06PG_fwpe7ULfewi6NrFR2j_4ngNZtgGHhDCeRY0&m=W69XXUy_CB_13fzySu_baITePjryYaz4JP3QFM-GFcs&s=1wdUGpZkjbpuGyOjXRpBWXHS3rDaG3Sz1T-8jUIojHw&e=>
Live Stats: Statbroadcast<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__stats.statbroadcast.com_broadcast_-3Fid-3D221245&d=DwIFAg&c=pZJPUDQ3SB9JplYbifm4nt2lEVG5pWx2KikqINpWlZM&r=6MG06PG_fwpe7ULfewi6NrFR2j_4ngNZtgGHhDCeRY0&m=W69XXUy_CB_13fzySu_baITePjryYaz4JP3QFM-GFcs&s=zeWWwc8F8gwxn34JZdqW5i6Iph6U2jhC3_1R0Qwycx4&e=>
Radio: ESPN 98.1FM/850 AM<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.wruf.com_listen-2Dlive_&d=DwIFAg&c=pZJPUDQ3SB9JplYbifm4nt2lEVG5pWx2KikqINpWlZM&r=6MG06PG_fwpe7ULfewi6NrFR2j_4ngNZtgGHhDCeRY0&m=W69XXUy_CB_13fzySu_baITePjryYaz4JP3QFM-GFcs&s=gbqzcsaslknpwN0mtKBGVquaVil5hUtbCalJR2q_T9Y&e=>
Series Information – No. 11 Florida at LSU
* This is the 56th meeting between the two schools
* Florida holds the 42-13 series advantage, including a 39-5 record under Mary Wise
* 3-set: 24-7 | 4-set: 14-6 | 5-set: 4-0
* Home: 21-5 | Away: 17-6 | Neutral: 4-2
* Last Time Out: Oct. 1, 2017 | Gainesville, Fla. | W, 3-0 (25-17, 26-24, 25-23)