Florida Gators
4-0
Texas
4-1
No. 4 Florida Downs No. 3 Texas 3-1, Wins Second Top-25 Match of Weekend
Sunday, September 6, 2015 | Volleyball
AUSTIN, Texas. -- No. 4 Gator volleyball made it 2-for-2 against top-11 opponents this weekend to improve to 4-0 with a 3-1 win at No. 3 Texas in front of a packed Gregory Gym Saturday afternoon at the VERT Challenge in Austin.
The Gators won the physical war at the net with 16.5 blocks, compared to just six for the Longhorns (4-1), while contributions from all over the court propelled the Gators to their second consecutive upset over Texas in Austin -- and second straight victory over a ranked opponent in as many matches.
Senior setter Mackenzie Dagostino turned in her second double-double this season with 45 assists, 11 digs, while freshman Rhamat Alhassan racked up a match-high 21 points with 13 kills, two service aces and nine blocks towards UF's efforts.
Senior outside hitter éiva Recek hit a team-high .562 with nine kills on 16 errorless swings and led all Gators on the court with 12 digs. Senior libero Nikki O'Rourke chipped in nine scoops as a total of five Gators had five or more digs on the defensive end.
To cap off a stellar first set for the Orange and Blue, redshirt freshman defensive specialist Lindsey Rogers served out the last two points with a senior Simone Antwi and Carli Snyder roof to seal the deal for the 25-20 Florida win. Trailing 21-18 to Texas in the second, sophomore Sam Dubiel served up three straight points to tie the set at 21-all, but the Longhorns scored the next four to take set two 25-21 and even the match at 1-1 heading to the break.
A .517 combined hitting efficiency enabled the Gators to cruise to a 25-18 set-three victory and the fourth, while it took a 26-24 final, was all Florida for the 3-1 finale as junior right side Alex Holston and Antwi broke a 24-24 tie with back-to-back slams for the W.
Next up, the Orange and Blue will trek to Hawaii for a long-awaited trip to Honolulu for the Outrigger Resorts Volleyball Challenge. The Gators will play Eastern Washington, Hawaii and San Diego State during their stay on Oahu.
MARY'S MINUTE
“Rhamat's numbers are going to garner a lot of attention, as they should, but this is a team win because so many people contributed. Winning in Austin is not easy, whether it's late in the season or early in the season, but today we got such great contributions by so many people it enabled us to be successful.”
2015 RECORDS
No. 4 Florida: 4-0
No. 3 Texas: 4-1
· Saturday's tilt marked the 22nd meeting in the history of the series between the Gators and Longhorns, and is the seventh time the two programs have met since 2010. The Gators and Longhorns have now met nine times in Austin, with six of those victories belonging to UF. Florida owns the all-time advantage in the history of the series with Texas, 14-8
KEY NUMBERS
· 21 | Points for sophomore middle Rhamat Alhassan, who had 13 kills, two service aces and nine blocks in UF's 3-1 victory to lead the Gators and tie for the lead on the floor
· 7 | Double-doubles for senior setter Mackenzie Dagostino during her time as a Gator. Mack's 45 assists, 11 digs marked her second double-dip this season
· 5 | Players with double-digit points towards the Gators' efforts (Alhassan 21, Holston 14.5, Snyder & Recek 12, Antwi 10)
· 2 | After going 7-3 against ranked opponents in 2014, Florida wasted no time notching two top-15 victories at the VERT Challenge against No. 11 Oregon (3-0) and No. 3 Texas (3-1)
UP NEXT
Florida will continue an 11-day road swing in Honolulu, Hawaii, for the Outrigger Resorts Volleyball Challenge. The Gators will match up with Eastern Washington, host No. 17 Hawaii and San Diego State in the three-day tournament next week. UF's tilt with Hawaii will mark the Gators' third ranked opponent in the span of a week.
FOLLOW THE GATORS | Preseason SEC Favorites
