No. 10 Gators Sweep Mississippi State with Balance Offensive, Defensive Efforts

Friday, October 21

Gainesville, FL

7 PM

Florida Gators

17-2, 7-1SEC

Mississippi State

11-11, 3-5SEC

Mississippi State

Florida

Florida showcased its depth and nation-leading efficiency on Friday night.

No. 10 Gators Sweep Mississippi State with Balance Offensive, Defensive Efforts

Friday, October 21, 2016 | Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery (by Jim Burgess/UAA Communications)

Florida held its ninth opponent under a .100 hitting percentage, and hit over .400 for the fourth time this season

By: Zach Dirlam

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Junior outside hitter Carli Snyder led a contingent of five Gators with six-plus kills as UF swept Mississippi State for a ninth consecutive time Friday (Oct. 21) night in the Lemerand Athletic Center.

The No. 10 Gators, who entered the match with the nation's top hitting percentage (.323), posted a .412 clip, their third-highest efficiency rate of the season. Defensively, UF held Mississippi State to an .045 hitting percentage, marking the ninth time this season and third time in the last four matches its opponent hit below .100.

Snyder racked up a match-high 11 kills, her 14th outing this year with double-digit kills, and totaled 12 points. Junior All-American middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan also finished with 12 points and hit .571, amassing nine kills and six block assists.

Freshman middle blocker Rachael Kramer notched seven kills on 13 attacks, finishing with a .462 hitting percentage.

Along the back row, freshman defensive specialist Allie Gregory and junior libero Caroline Knop combined for 26 digs.

UF trailed, 8-5, early in the first set, but took command of the match with 10-0 run, all with Knop on serve and Alhassan and senior All-American right side Alex Holston teaming up for three straight blocks. The second set stayed close until lengthy service runs by Gregory and redshirt sophomore setter Allie Monserez helped the Gators win 13 of the final 16 points. And UF raced out to an 11-4 lead in the final set to put away the Bulldogs.

Highlights of the Night:

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— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) October 22, 2016

THE RECORDS
No. 10 Florida: 17-2, 7-1 SEC
Mississippi State: 11-11, 3-5 SEC

NOTABLES AND TRENDS

Florida improves to 47-0 all-time against Mississippi State, and has won 44 of those matches in straight sets
The Gators have held Mississippi State below 20 points in 21 of the last 23 sets in the series
This is the fourth time this season UF held an opponent under an .050 hitting percentage
The Gators logged a hitting percentage over .400 for the fourth time this year
Allie Gregory recorded double-digit digs for the third time this season, and her only other such outings came in four-set matches
Shainah Joseph has six-plus kills in four of UF's last five matches
Caroline Knop tied her season and career highs with five assists
Allie Monserez tied her season and career highs with two kills for a third consecutive match

UP NEXT
Florida continues its four-match homestand at the Lemerand Athletic Center, where the Gators are 5-1 this season, with a televised 12 p.m. ET matchup versus Georgia on Sunday (Oct. 23).

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Sunday, Oct. 23, vs. Georgia | 12 p.m.
TV: Live on SEC Network (Courtney Lyle, Missy Whittemore) | Stream: WatchESPN | Radio Stream (Tom Collett, Josh Crow) + live on ESPN Gainesville (95.3 FM / AM 850) | Live Stats

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Georgia | 13-8 overall, 1-7 SEC

Florida leads: 59-9 (56-1 under Mary Wise)
3-set: 43-4 | 4-set: 13-2 | 5-set: 3-3