No. 6 Gators Extend Streaks with Sweep of South Carolina

Friday, November 11

Gainesville, FL

7 PM

Florida Gators

23-2, 13-1SEC

South Carolina

17-8, 5-8SEC

Team	1	2	3	Final F
South Carolina	13	20	15	0
Florida	25	25	25	3

Caroline Knop became the ninth Gator to log six-plus service aces in a match during the rally scoring era.

No. 6 Gators Extend Streaks with Sweep of South Carolina

Friday, November 11, 2016 | Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery by Jim Burgess

This is UF's longest streak of .350-plus hitting percentages since 2003, when UF went all the way to the national title match

By: Zach Dirlam

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 6 Gators hit above .350 for the seventh consecutive match and tied their season high of nine service aces in a sweep of South Carolina on Friday (Nov. 11), extending their winning streak to 11, sweep streak to seven, and giving them a half-game lead in the SEC standings.

This is the first time since 2003 the Gators hit above .350 in seven straight matches. The 2003 Gators, who played for the national title and were the last UF team to reach the NCAA Semifinals, registered a clip of .350 or better in eight matches (Sep. 20-Oct. 12).

Junior libero Caroline Knop spearheaded UF's effective serving night with six aces. Knop joins Mackenzie Dagostino (Sep. 19, 2014) as the only other Gator since 2012 with six-plus service aces in a match. The Pasadena, Calif. native is also the first Gator since Kristy Jaeckel (2011) to post six-plus aces in a three-set match.

Florida enjoyed yet another solid passing night as well, with redshirt sophomore Allie Monserez racking up 40 assists and helping four Gators—Rhamat Alhassan, Alex Holston, Rachael Kramer, Carli Snyder—notch at least eight kills.

Holston tallied a match-high 11 kills, marking the fifth time in UF's last six matches she finished with at least 10. Snyder was the only other Gator to reach double figures, logging 10 kills for her 17th match with double-digit kills this year.

Florida scored the first five points in set one to race to a 25-13 opening-set victory, which featured five of the team's nine aces. Set two saw both teams make runs to tie the match at 18-18, though the Gators stiffened defensively and took seven of the final nine points. UF built a 16-8 lead in the clinching set before closing out a 25-15 win.

THE RECORDS
No. 6 Florida: 23-2, 13-1 SEC
South Carolina: 17-8, 5-8 SEC

NOTABLES AND TRENDS

Florida improves its all-time record against South Carolina to 54-7, and to 48-2 under head coach Mary Wise.
This is UF's longest streak of sweeps since logging seven consecutive straight-set victories from Oct. 19-Nov. 12, 2014.
Tonight marked the fifth time this season the Gators did not have a single receiving error.
Florida tied its season high with nine aces, a figure it also recorded against Central Michigan (Sep. 3) in the Spartan Invitational.
Caroline Knop's six service aces tied the second-highest total by an SEC player in a match of any length this year.
- Knop's previous career high for service aces was three, a total she recorded five different times, most recently at Oregon (Aug. 27).
The only other Gators with six or more service aces in a match in the rally scoring era are: Jane Collymore (2004), Aury Cruz (five times), Mackenzie Dagostino (2014), Kristy Jaeckel (2011), Jenny Manz (1999), Lauren Moscovic (2001), Kelly Murphy (2010), and Jacque Robinson (2000).
Allie Monserez logged at least 40 assists in a three-set match for the fifth time this year.

UP NEXT
The Gators face Alabama on Sunday (Nov. 13) afternoon, and the matchup will be televised by SEC Network, with Sam Gore and Jenny Hazelwood on the call. First serve at the Gale Lemerand Athletic Center Gym is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.

Sunday will also be Senior Day for the Gators, who will honor their only senior this year—three-time All-American right side Alex Holston—prior to first serve.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Sunday, Nov. 13, vs. Alabama | 2 p.m.
TV: Live on SEC Network (Sam Gore, Jenny Hazelwood) | Stream: WatchESPN | Radio Stream (Tom Collett, Josh Crow) + live on ESPN Gainesville (95.3 FM / AM 850) | Live Stats

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Alabama | 17-10 overall, 6-8 SEC

Florida leads: 42-0 (40-0 under Mary Wise)
3-set: 38-0 | 4-set: 4-0 | 5-set: 0-0
Home: 19-0 | Away: 20-0 | Neutral: 3-0
Last Time Out: Sep. 25, 2016 at Tuscaloosa --> W, 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-19)
Notable: UF has swept Alabama in each of the last 13 meetings