GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The No. 7 Florida volleyball team pumped out a season-best .522 hitting efficiency as a balanced team effort helped the Gators to a sweep of Auburn (25-14, 25-21, 25-10) in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in mid-week action on the SEC Network.
The Gators chalked up their 15th straight victory against the Tigers (11-15, 3-10 SEC), improving to 20-3 overall and an undefeated 14-0 in SEC play behind a team-high 11 kills and 13 points from sophomore right side Alex Holston, while freshman middle Rhamat Alhassan hit .636 with nine kills and two blocks for 10 points towards the Gators' tally.
Florida had contributions and highlights all around Wednesday, as junior outside hitter éiva Recek registered a career-best .643 hitting efficiency with nine kills on 14 errorless swings, while senior Holly Pole held things down in the back row with 13 digs to help stabilize on first contact and then set up the Gator attack. Freshman Sam Dubiel served up her first career ace for match point for the Orange and Blue.
UF limited AU to a .133 clip and had just six attack errors, its lowest in SEC play so far, to aid its efforts in UF's 12th SEC sweep.
GETTING WISE
“The offensive numbers are a direct reflection of the first contact by our passers, the ball distribution by Mackenzie and then our hitters making good choices. We were very low error tonight from an offensive standpoint and the numbers reflect that.”
BY THE NUMBERS
.522: the Gators' hitting efficiency against the Tigers. The Gators last hit .500 against Jacksonville in 2013 NCAA Tournament first round action (.549, Dec. 5 2013). The last time the Gators hit above .500 in SEC play was at Tennessee (.506) on Nov. 20, 2013
39: straight wins against Auburn under Florida head coach Mary Wise. With Wednesday's win, the Gators are now 20-0 at home against the Tigers
24: straight sets won for the Gators. The Orange and Blue have now won 24 straight sets dating back to Oct. 15 when Florida won the last three sets of a 3-1 win at South Carolina
17: matches the Gators have forced their opponents to operate below a .197 hitting efficiency, including 13 of 14 SEC matches. Florida held the Tigers to a .122 clip Wednesday evening, including just .037 in the third set
15: straight wins for the Gators, extending UF's longest win streak of the season and the longest of any team in league play. Florida's last 15-match win streak was in 2010 (24 consecutive wins from 9/11/10-12/4/10)
14: straight SEC wins. Florida is the only undefeated team in SEC play and owns a two-match advantage over Kentucky in the league standings. UF has 12 undefeated SEC seasons all-time in program history, with the last coming in 2010
13: digs for senior libero Holly Pole to lead Florida's back row efforts. Senior Maddy Monserez and junior Mackenzie Dagostino had six each. Dagostino was additionally 2-for-2 from the floor, dished out 35 assists and served up one of Florida's five aces Wednesday
12: SEC sweeps following Wednesday's three-set win against the Tigers (Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Georgia, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi State, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and Auburn). 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)
11: kills for sophomore right side Alex Holston. Holston has led the team with double-digit kills for four-straight matches
9: kills for junior outside hitter éiva Recek. Recek posted a career-high .643 hitting efficiency against the Tigers Wednesday
6: attack errors for Florida, their lowest in SEC play and tying for lowest this season (6 vs. San Diego 9/11)
7: hitters above a .400 hitting efficiency Wednesday against Auburn
5: service aces for Florida. The Gators now have five service aces or more in 15 matches this season (10 SEC matches), including five straight matches since Oct. 26 vs. Mississippi State
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
1: service ace for freshman Sam Dubiel, the first of her career -- which happened to be match point
UP NEXT
Florida hits the road for a trip to No. 15 Kentucky Sunday in Lexington as the SEC season winds down with just four more conference matches. The Gators and Wildcats will match up at noon on the SEC Network. UF is 48-10 all-time against Kentucky, including 46-3 under head coach Mary Wise. The Gators are additionally 20-5 all-time in Lexington.
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