Florida Gators
Arkansas
No. 6 Gators Rack Up 18th Straight Victory with 3-1 Win at Arkansas
Sunday, November 23, 2014 | Volleyball
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Five players scored double-digit points for the Gators Sunday in UF's second-to-last regular-season SEC match as No. 6 Florida topped Arkansas 3-1 to rack up the program's 18th consecutive victory. Junior outside hitter Gabby Mallette notched a season high 13 kills to pace the Orange and Blue (23-3, 17-0 SEC), and four other Gators had eight kills or more in Florida's balanced effort.
Freshman Carli Snyder registered 11 slams, her best output in SEC play, while sophomore Alex Holston (9), freshman Rhamat Alhassan (8) and junior Simone Antwi (8) followed in suit. Junior setter Mackenzie Dagostino also put down a season-tying five kills to aid UF's efforts.
After a battle in the first set in favor of Arkansas, 27-25, the SEC Champion Gators evened things up with a 25-12 push in the second to head to the locker room tied at the break. Florida used 25-20 and 25-19 performances in the third and fourth to close out the Sunday afternoon affair.
UF posted double-digit blocks for the third straight match with 11 Sunday to Arkansas' eight, and the Orange and Blue out-hit the Razorbacks .300 to .083, the third-lowest for a SEC opponent this season and the 19th match on the campaign that Florida has held its opposition to a .197 efficiency or lower. The Gators also served up seven aces to the Razorbacks' one.
Florida's senior class accounted for 27 digs Sunday, led by Maddy Monserez's 10, while Holly Pole and Taylor Unroe had nine and eight digs, respectively. Holston additionally had eight digs, her second-most in SEC play.
Just one more SEC match remains for Florida next Wednesday, and the Gators will honor all three seniors in a pre-match ceremony prior to first serve in the O'Dome on Thanksgiving Eve.
GETTING WISE
“The offensive balance for us today was evident; our balance was key, along with the combination of play between our front row and our back row to keep Arkansas' hot hitters from hurting us more than they did.”
BY THE NUMBERS
21: SEC titles for the Gators, as Florida won the league outright with Friday's victory. 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
19: matches the Gators have forced their opponents to operate below a .197 hitting efficiency after limiting Arkansas to .083 Sunday, including 15 of 17 SEC matches
18: straight wins for the Gators, the sixth-longest in the country entering the week. Florida's last streak of 18 or longer was four years ago in 2010 (24 consecutive wins from 9/11/10-12/4/10)
17: straight SEC wins. Florida is the only undefeated team in SEC play and owns 12 undefeated SEC seasons all-time in program history, with the last coming in 2010
13: kills for junior Gabby Mallette, a season high. Mallette led UF's charge as five Gators had eight kills or more. Mallette and fellow junior Simone Antwi each turned in four blocks behind Alhassan's five
11: kills for freshman Carli Snyder, her most in SEC play and tying for her second-most this season. Snyder now has five double-digit kill performances this season
11: team blocks for the Orange and Blue, its second most in SEC play and the third-consecutive match Florida has posted double-digit roofs
7: service aces for Florida Sunday, led by two each from Mackenzie Dagostino and Holly Pole. Florida has seven or more service aces in eight matches in 2014
5: blocks for freshman middle Rhamat Alhassan, who has now led Florida in roofs 24 of 26 matches this season. Alhassan also hit a team-best .636 with eight kills
5:Florida has dropped just five sets in SEC play, all on the road -- one at LSU, South Carolina, Kentucky, Ole Miss and the first set against Arkansas 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
UP NEXT
Florida will honor its three seniors, Maddy Monserez, Holly Pole and Taylor Unroe Wednesday evening, Nov. 26, prior to the Gators' regular-season finale against South Carolina on Thanksgiving Eve. First serve is slate for 7 p.m., but be sure to arrive early for Senior Night! Wednesday's broadcast against the Gamecocks will air live on SEC Network +, and the match will air tape-delayed nationally on ESPNU later that night from 10p.m.-midnight ET.
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