Florida Gators
Georgia
No. 8 Gator Volleyball Kicks Off Florida-Georgia Week With 3-0 Sweep in Athens
Thursday, October 30, 2014 | Volleyball
ATHENS, Ga. -- Sophomore right side Alex Holston notched her first career double-double with a team-high 12 kills and a career-best 11 digs and junior outside hitter Gabby Mallette hit a season high .625 to lead the No. 8 Florida volleyball team to its second sweep of Georgia this season (25-16, 25-8, 26-24) in a Wednesday night SEC Network clash at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens.
Florida hit .400 as a team in the mid-week tilt with the Bulldogs (10-12, 2-8 SEC) to add its ninth SEC sweep and improve to 17-3 (11-0 SEC) on the campaign. The Gators served up a staggering 11 service aces, their most this season, paced by three from Holston and senior libero Holly Pole. The Orange and Blue posted nine blocks to the Dawgs' one roof, as freshman Rhamat Alhassan led Florida with five, her 19th match leading the Gators in blocks this season.
After taking set one 25-16, UF limited UGA to just eight points in the second stanza, its second straight match limiting its opposition to a single-digit set, but the Bulldogs came out aggressive in the third as Florida and Georgia went down to the wire in a 26-24 Gator decision in the final frame.
The Dawgs hit .141 against the Gators Wednesday, UF's 14th match this season holding its opponent under a .197 hitting efficiency, including 10 conference contests.
Florida will now turn its sights to an afternoon tilt on the road Sunday at Tennessee in the first meeting between the Gators and Lady Vols this season. Tennessee enters the match-up in Knoxville at 8-16, 1-9 in SEC play after falling short to Kentucky on the road in Lexington tonight.
GETTING WISE
“You can look at a 3-0 score and not know just how much we learned from this match. Alex (Holston) was so good for us in both her defense and her offense and was a real key to us tonight. Alex and Gabby (Mallette) came up with some key blocks there that were the difference in set three.”
BY THE NUMBERS
· .625: hitting efficiency for junior outside hitter Gabby Mallette, who had 11 kills on 16 swings with just one error. Mallette additionally posted a season-best three blocks, all assists, to contribute to UF's nine as a team
· 55: wins all-time for Florida under head coach Mary Wise, including a 24-4 record in Athens. UF now leads the all-time history of the series against the Bulldogs, 58-9
· 14: matches the Gators have forced their opponents to operate below a .197 hitting efficiency, including 10 of 11 SEC matches. Florida held the Bulldogs to a .141 clip Wednesday, while registering a .400 hitting efficiency, its second-best in SEC play
· 12: kills for sophomore right side Alex Holston, who also scooped up a career and team-high 11 digs for her first career double-double. Holston's double-dip marks UF's fourth double-double performance this season. Holston's .526 clip was also just shy of her season-best .545
· 12: straight wins for the Gators, extending UF's longest win streak of the season and the longest of any team in league play. Florida strung together a 13-match win streak from 9/13/13-10/18/13 last season and is just one win shy of tying that string
· 11: service aces for the Gators, their most this season. UF's 11 aces were the most since Florida served up 11 at Texas A&M on Nov. 3, 2013
· 11: straight SEC wins to start conference play. Florida is the only undefeated team in SEC play just over half way through the conference schedule. UF has 12 undefeated SEC seasons all-time in program history, with the last coming in 2010
· 8: points for the Bulldogs in the second set, marking the second consecutive match the Gators have held an opponent to single-digit points in a set (MSU 25-9 first set 10/26). UF last held an opponent to eight points or less was 10/26/12 when Mississippi State had eight in the second
· 9: SEC sweeps following the win against Mississippi State Sunday (Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Georgia, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi State, Georgia). Florida has dropped just two sets in SEC play, both on the road – one to LSU and one to South Carolina (both on the road)
· 3: service aces for senior libero Holly Pole, a season-best number. Holston also served up three aces, one shy of her season-best four. Freshman Rhamat Alhassan had one of UF's 10 and now has a service ace in five consecutive matches
UP NEXT
The Orange and Blue will be back in action Sunday in Knoxville for a meeting with Tennessee. First serve between the Gators and Lady Vols is slated for noon on the SEC Network with Melissa Lee and Missy Whittemore on the call. UF is 44-12 all-time against the Lady Vols, including 40-7 under head coach Mary Wise. The Gators own a 19-5 record all-time in Knoxville and swept the Lady Vols at Thompson-Boling Arena on Nov. 20 last season (25-18, 25-21, 25-17).
| NO. 8 florida AT TENNESSEE BROADCAST INFORMATION | FLORIDA MATCH NOTES |
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| Match Time | TV | Radio Stream | Live Stats | |
| FLORIDA | tennessee | 12 p.m. | ||||
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