Dagostino, Holston Grab SEC Volleyball Weekly Accolades
Monday, November 16, 2015 | Volleyball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Florida senior Mackenzie Dagostino is the SEC Setter of the Week and junior right side Alex Holston the SEC Offensive and overall Player of the Week after a weekend sweep at home for the No. 15 Gator volleyball team (20-5, 12-4 SEC) against Alabama and Tennessee.
With just a pair of conference matches remaining, Dagostino and Holston guided the Gators to their 14th and 15th three-set sweeps of the season against the Crimson Tide and Volunteers at home in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center as Florida hit above .400 in both matches, thanks to Dagostino's on-point ball distribution and Holston's hot hand.
Holston, who's now in contention for AVCA National Player of the Week, averaged over five kills and five points per set over the weekend. Her 31 kills -- 17 Friday and 14 Sunday -- bumped her over the 1,000 career kill mark (1,020), while Dagostino is also on record-book pace checking in at No. 9 all-time in UF history in career assists (2,429). Dagostino had her team-leading eighth double-double of the 2015 season Friday, while dishing out 48 assists Sunday against Tennessee, her most in a three-set match this season.
WATCH: Head Coach Mary Wise Monday Press Conference
DAGOSTINO HIGHLIGHTS
· Directed Florida's offense to two outings where the Gators hit above .400 as a team, their fifth and sixth matches in conference play above a .400 clip
· Entered UF's top-10 career assists list this weekend, averaging a staggering 15.00 assists per set against the Tide and Vols -- with her 2,429 career assists as a Gator, currently No. 9 all-time in Florida's record book
· Dagostino first put up her team-leading eighth double-double of the season against the Crimson Tide with 42 assists and a team-leading 10 digs before she returned to dish out a season-best assists for a three-set match (48) against Tennessee Sunday -- second most in a three-set match for a SEC team this season
· Also against the Vols, Dagostino served up two aces accounting for UF's two on the day, her seventh outing in 2015 with multiple aces
· Tied atop the SEC standings with 11.75 assists per set in conference play and ranked 17th in country entering weekend in assists per set
HOLSTON HIGHLIGHTS
· With 31 total kills to guide the Gators against Alabama and Tennessee this weekend, Holston eclipsed 1,000 career kills as a Gator in just her junior season (1,020)
· Her 5.17 kills per set and 5.50 points per set led UF to its two weekend sweeps
· Led Florida with 17 kills in the sweep of Alabama, then tied for the team lead with 14 slams against Tennessee Sunday, marking her fourth straight double-digit kill match down the SEC stretch
· Her 17 kills against the Crimson Tide were two shy of her season-high 19, while she also served up an ace against Alabama to boast at least one ace in 15 of UF's 25 matches this year
· Additionally tied for the team lead in blocks against Tennessee, with two
· Has now led Florida in kills in five of its last six matches and ranks seventh in SEC play with 3.38 kills per set
2015 FLORIDA ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONORS
Aug. 31: SEC Defensive Player of the Week, Rhamat Alhassan
Sept. 8: SEC Offensive Player of the Week, Rhamat Alhassan
Sept. 8: SEC Setter of the Week, Mackenzie Dagostino
Sept. 8: Sports Imports/AVCA Division I National Player of the Week, Rhamat Alhassan
Sept. 9: ESPNW National Volleyball Player of the Week, Mackenzie Dagostino
Oct. 12: SEC Offensive Player of the Week, Carli Snyder
Nov. 16: SEC Offensive Player of the Week & Player of the Week, Alex Holston
Nov. 16: SEC Setter of the Week, Mackenzie Dagostino
UP NEXT
Florida will take one last regular-season road swing with matches at LSU and Texas A&M next weekend. First up, the Gators head to the bayou to take on LSU in Baton Rouge before trekking to College Station for their second match-up with the Aggies this season. Both matches will air live on SEC Network, with first serve slated for 6 p.m. ET Friday and 2 p.m. ET Sunday. 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.
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