Florida Gators Volleyball clinches share of SEC title

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The No. 7 Florida volleyball squad topped No. 15 Kentucky 3-1 at Memorial Coliseum Sunday afternoon in Lexington to clinch at least a share of the 2014 SEC title -- its 21st league championship in school history. The Orange and Blue used double-digit kills from three players, 10 blocks and a gritty performance all-around for its 16th straight win as the Gators improved to 21-3 overall and an undefeated 15-0 in SEC play this season.



With a three-match lead now over UK in the SEC standings -- and three more SEC contests remaining -- one more conference win for the Gators would give Florida the 2014 crown outright. Florida improved to 4-2 this season against top-25 opponents with the four-set win over the Wildcats (25-19, 14-25, 25-21, 25-16).



Freshman middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan (15), sophomore right side Alex Holston (15) and junior middle Simone Antwi (10) all had double-digit kills for the Gators, while senior Taylor Unroe scooped up 10 digs for the Orange and Blue, her second-most in SEC play this season. Junior setter Mackenzie Dagostino dished out 47 assists, posted three blocks and scooped up eight digs to contribute all over the floor. Alhassan and Holston led UF with four blocks each, while Holston served up three of UF's five service aces.



GETTING WISE

"There are so many pieces to this victory because so many different players contributed to this win. To beat a top-25 team on the road, that's what it takes."



BY THE NUMBERS

1,499: career digs for senior Taylor Unroe, who is just one dig shy of becoming the second player in Florida history to eclipse 1,500 career scoops

47: assists for junior setter Mackenzie Dagostino, her most since 48 in UF's last four-setter at South Carolina

21: SEC titles for the Gators, as Florida clinched at least a share of the 2014 crown Sunday. All 21 have come under Florida head coach Mary Wise, including 18 straight conference titles from 1991-2008. Florida last won the league in 2012 and can win the SEC outright with one more win in conference play

25: straight sets won for the Gators from Oct. 15 to Sunday's match when Kentucky took the second set, 25-14. Florida has now won 27 of its last 28sets in SEC play

16: straight wins for the Gators, the sixth-longest in the country entering the week. Florida's last streak of 16 or longer was four years ago in 2010 (24 consecutive wins from 9/11/10-12/4/10)

15: straight SEC wins. Florida is the only undefeated team in SEC play and owns a three-match advantage over Kentucky in the league standings. Florida clinched at least a share of the 2014 SEC title with Sunday's victory and can win it outright with just one more conference win. UF has 12 undefeated SEC seasons all-time in program history, with the last coming in 2010

10: kills for junior middle Simone Antwi, her second-most in SEC play and third double-digit kill performance in conference play

10: team blocks for the Orange and Blue, tying for its second-most in SEC play. Alhassan and sophomore right side Alex Holston posted four apiece to lead UF

5: service aces for the Gators, who now have five or more in 16 contests this season

4: blocks for freshman middle Rhamat Alhassan, who has now led Florida in roofs 22 of 24 matches this season. Alhassan also led UF with 15 kills, one shy of her career high 16

3:Florida has dropped just three sets in SEC play, all on the road -- one to LSU, one to South Carolina and one at Kentucky Sunday

1: home regular-season match remaining for the Gators. Florida takes on South Carolina at home November 26, where UF's three seniors will be honored in a pre-match ceremony

0: reception errors for the Gators against Kentucky, the eighth time this season UF has accomplished the feat, including six times in SEC play



UP NEXT

The No. 7 Gators have just three more SEC matches remaining, two on the road. Florida will head to Ole Miss and Arkansas next weekend before returning home for Senior Night against South Carolina on Thanksgiving Eve, Nov. 26. First serve between the Gators and Rebels is 7:30 p.m. Friday, while Florida and Arkansas will match up at Arkansas at noon on the SEC Network Sunday.

 

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.