Florida Gators
19-5, 11-4SEC
Alabama
13-14, 7-6SEC
No. 15 Gators Roll, Sweep Crimson Tide Friday
Saturday, November 14, 2015 | Volleyball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Behind a floor high 17 kills from junior right side Alex Holston and an error-free, 11-kill outing from senior middle Simone Antwi, the No. 15 Gators chalked up their 14th sweep of the season against the Crimson Tide (25-22, 25-23, 25-16) Friday night in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center to maintain their perfect 41-0 record all-time against Alabama (13-14, 7-6 SEC).
Florida (19-5, 11-4 SEC) hit .414, served up a season-high eight service aces -- including a career-tying three from senior outside hitter éiva Recek -- and chalked up its seventh low attack-error match in the last 11 outings with just eight Friday. Senior setter Mackenzie Dagostino added her eighth double-double of the campaign with 42 assists and a team-leading 10 digs. Antwi and Holston accounted for 28 of the Gators' 49 kills in Friday's sweep.
After taking a competitive first frame 25-22, the Gators were forced to dig deep down 22-20 to the Crimson Tide in a tight second. Back-to-back kills from sophomore middle Rhamat Alhassan and Antwi tied the set at 22-22, while an Alabama attack error and sophomore Carli Snyder slam gave Florida set point to set up the eventual 25-23 result.
The Orange and Blue came out of the locker room at the break ready to cruise, using a 7-1 run in the heart of the third with the help of sophomore setter Abby Detering's serve to take a 13-5 lead they wouldn't relinquish.
Antwi's 11 slams propelled her to her second-best hitting efficiency of the season with a .786 clip, while Snyder hit .462 with seven kills on 13 swings with just one error. Holston finished the night with a team-high 18 points with 17 kills and a service ace to her name, while fellow DC native Alhassan finished the night with a .438 hitting efficiency on nine kills along with two blocks.
Next up, Florida will ready for its second meeting with the Tennessee Vols in the second-to-last regular-season match in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center Sunday. First serve between the Gators and Vols is 1:30 p.m.
MARY'S MINUTE
“In a match with two pretty special right-side players going at it, we were fortunate with the plays Alex made from the beginning of the match to the end that helped us win this in three.”
BY THE NUMBERS
· 41 | Wins all-time against Alabama, including 39 under Florida head coach Mary Wise. The Gators have never lost to the Crimson Tide
· 14 | Sweeps for Florida in 2015, 10 in SEC play. The Gators have swept nine of their last 11 matches
· 8 | Double-doubles for senior setter Mackenzie Dagostino this season. Mack had 42 assists and a team-high 10 digs in Friday's sweep
· 8 | After a season-high 26 attack errors at Auburn, Florida had just eight against Alabama, making it single-digit attack errors in seven of the last 11 matches for the Orange and Blue
· 8 | Florida served up a season-high eight service aces, paced by a career-tying three from senior outside hitter Ziva Recek. Sophomore setter Abby Detering dropped over a career-tying two aces as well
· 7 | Detering has had at least one service ace in seven of Florida's last eight matches. Friday's two marked her fifth match this season with multiple aces, including back-to-back with two at Auburn Sunday
· 7 | Matches this season Florida has hit .400 or higher, including five in SEC play
· 6 | Straight wins for the Gators at home in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center to defend their home turf
· 3 | Double-digit kill outings for senior middle Simone Antwi this season with Friday's 11-slam performance. Friday was Antwi's fourth error-free match of 2015 and her .789 hitting efficiency was second to just her .867 against Oregon at the VERT Challenge
· 2 | More regular-season home matches: Sunday vs. Tennessee at 1:30 p.m., Nov. 27 at 3 p.m. for Senior Day
UP NEXT
Next up Florida will look to make it back-to-back wins with their second clash of the season against Tennessee Sunday in the O'Dome on SEC Network +. UF is 24-6 all-time at home against Tennessee and swept the Vols on Oct. 14 in Knoxville. The Gators have just four more regular-season matches remaining -- including Senior Day in the O'Dome Nov. 27 at 3 p.m. The 2015 NCAA Selection Show will air at 9 p.m. Nov. 29 on ESPNU.
FLORIDA VS TENNESSEE BROADCAST INFORMATION
Tennessee Volunteers (Nov. 15)
Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
Live Stream: SEC Network +
Radio: ESPN Gainesville
Live Stats: Gametracker
UF | UT SERIES HISTORY
· 2015 Record: 20-10, 6-9 SEC
· Series Record: Florida leads, 46-12 (42-7 under Mary Wise)
· 3-set: 36-1; 4-set: 8-4; 5-set: 2-7
· Home: 24-6 | Away: 21-5 | Neutral: 1-1
· Last Time Out: Oct. 14, 2015 at Knoxville | W, 3-0 (25-19, 25-11, 25-23)
TENNESSEE PROMOTIONS
·Presenting sponsor: Campus USA
·Presenting sponsor: Gainesville Health & Fitness
- Kids Corner
Sundays are Kids Days at Florida Volleyball Matches. Stop by the Kids Corner to meet your favorite mascots, spirit squads, play games, make posters and partake other exciting promotions. Located on the inter concourse between gates 3 and 4
· Kids Club Check-In
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