GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Four Gators reached double-figure kill totals on Wednesday night to lead the sixth-ranked University of Florida volleyball team to a 3-1 (24-30, 30-11, 30-21, 30-21) victory over Florida State in front of 3,410 fans at the O’Connell Center. The win was UF’s 39th in a row against in-state opponents, and its 15th-straight over FSU.
Senior outside hitter Marcie Hampton (Gainesville, Fla.) led the way with 16 kills on .333 hitting, while junior middle blocker Kelsey Bowers
(Gainesville, Fla.) recorded 12, senior middle blocker Kisya Killingsworth (Deltona, Fla.) added 11 and senior opposite hitter Amber McCray (Longview, Texas) chipped in with 10. UF (6-0) hit .379 as a team against the Seminoles (3-3), cracking the .350 barrier for the fourth-consecutive match.
UF has out-hit each of its six opponents this season, bettering FSU in hitting efficiency by a margin of .379-.190.
“Florida State has a lot of weapons, and it’s a reflection of our seniors that we were able to regroup after losing the first game,” Florida head coach Mary Wise said. “They really took control, and we started playing well when we started blocking balls. The crowd was awesome tonight, and we really fed off their energy.”
The Gators posted 16.0 total blocks as a team, led by a match-high eight from Killingsworth, including a career-best seven block assists. Senior setter Angie McGinnis (Fraser, Mich.) narrowly missed her career high, posting seven total blocks.
Senior setter Angie McGinnis (Fraser, Mich.) led all players with 43 assists, and barely missed a double-double with nine kills. Sophomore libero/defensive specialist Elyse Cusack (Melrose, Fla.) shared match-high dig honors with 15, marking her 10th-straight match in double figures.
Florida will return to action on Sunday evening, when they take on Utah at 6 p. m. EST in a rematch of last year’s meeting in Gainesville as part of the Aquafina Invitational. The Gators took that contest, 3-1, behind a triple-double from then-junior McGinnis. The match will be broadcast live on WRUF-AM 850 and at www. GatorZone. com, while CSTV will tape delay the match at 8 p. m. EST on Tuesday, Sept. 11, at 8 p. m. EST.