Box Score |
Highlights
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 11 Florida Gators defeated the Army West Point Black Knights in four sets on Saturday afternoon to close out the Honda of Gainesville Gators Invitational.
Florida took the first two sets from Army, winning 25-16 and 25-12, respectively. The Black Knights battled back in set 3, taking it 25-20, but UF secured the match victory with a 25-16 win in the fourth set.
Thayer Hall led the Gators offensively with 13 kills and
Mia Sokolowski finished with a career-high 11 of her own. Sokolowski hit .714 in the match, only recording one error.
Taelor Kellum recorded nine kills and five blocks, while
Paige Hammons added seven kills and eight blocks.
The Monserez sisters combined for 44 assists, with Allie dishing out 24 and Marlie registering 20.
Allie Gregory led the squad in digs, posting 14 digs.
The Gators begin SEC play on Friday against Ole Miss at 7 p.m. in Exactech Arena. The match will be streamed on the SEC Network + and ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM/850 AM.
How it Happened
- The teams traded points throughout the first set, with Army leading by two at 9-7. Redshirt senior Allie Monserez came in with a clutch service run to put Florida up 13-9. From that point on, the Gators tallied seven kills to come out with the first-set victory.
- Florida hit an astounding .636 as a team, racking up 16 kills as a whole. Paige Hammons and Thayer Hall both posted four kills in the frame, followed by three from Taelor Kellum. UF held Army West Point to a .095 hit clip in the set and forced six attacking errors.
- The Black Knights held the 1-0 lead in the second set, but after Florida tied it at 1-1, Army would not hold a lead again in the frame. The Gators were gradually extending their lead early throughout the set, but thanks to a six-point service run by Allie Monserez, they were able to take a 17-6 lead. Over the remainder of the set, Florida notched six kills and a block to secure the victory.
- The Gators once again had a stellar hitting performance in the second set, hitting .600 as a team. The squad also picked up 13 kills in the frame, led by three from Mia Sokolowski and Thayer Hall. Florida forced Army West Point into nine attacking errors and a -.083 hit clip.
- Florida did not record any blocks in the third set and that may have made the difference as Army took the frame, 25-20. The set was tied 7-7, but the Black Knights went on a 9-4 run to take the five-point advantage late in the set. Florida staved off Army set point four times thanks to a service run by Holly Carlton, but a service error ended the frame and forced the match to a fourth set.
- The Gators trailed 1-0 in the fourth set, but would not trail again for the entire set, taking the frame 25-16. The fourth set was a tale of service runs by different UF players, with Thayer Hall, Paula Cerame, Paige Hammons and Allie Monserez each recording a run of at least three points.
- Florida hit .312 in the final stanza, recording 12 kills as a squad. Thayer Hall led all Gators with four kills and Mia Sokolowski pitched in three during the frame.
Notables
- Paige Hammons was named the MVP of the Honda of Gainesville Gators Invitational
- Thayer Hall and Allie Gregory were also named to the All-Tournament Team
- Thayer Hall finished with 13 kills, her 10th match in double-figure kills
- Mia Sokolowski posted a career-best 11 kills against the Black Knights, hitting .714 with only one error
- Taelor Kellum recorded five blocks at the net and Rachael Kramer added two of her own
- Allie Monserez dished out 24 assists during the match, followed by 20 from Marlie Monserez
- Allie Gregory posted a team-high 14 digs in the victory
- 14 Gators saw action during the match
- Florida hit .389 as a team, the third-best total of the season and held Army West
- The 11.0 team blocks by Florida tied the third-highest mark of the season
- The Gators move to 1-0 all-time against Army West Point
- Florida is now 7-1 in four-set matches in the 2018 campaign
- UF improves to 5-1 in Exactech Arena this season
All-Tournament Team
- MVP – Paige Hammons, Florida
- Thayer Hall, Florida
- Allie Gregory, Florida
- Emmy Barnharst, Army West Point
- Ana Oglivie, Army West Point
- Nina Petranovic, FIU
- Mallory Mattingly, Jacksonville
Up Next
- The Gators finished preseason play with Saturday's match and will open SEC play on Friday, Sept. 21 against Ole Miss
- The match is slated to begin at 7 p.m. in Exactech Arena and will be streamed on the SEC Network +
- Florida went 17-1 in conference play last season, earning a share of its 23rd SEC Championship title
TICKET INFORMATION |
Gator Ticket Office Online |
Call: 352-375-4683 x6800 (Open M-F, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.)
Season Ticket Prices:
- Reserved (Sections 09*, 11*, 13*, 15*, 23, 25, 27, 29) – $50 [all ages]
- General Admission (All other lower bowl areas) – $35 [ages 13 and up]
- Courtside Season Pass (subject to availability) – $150 [all ages]
- Loge Seating (subject to availability) [in front of the Sideline Club] – $75 [all ages]
Single-Match Ticket Prices:
- Reserved (Sections 09*, 11*, 13*, 15*, 23, 25, 27, 29) | $6 [all ages]
- General Admission (All other lower bowl areas) | $4 [ages 13 and up] / FREE [ages 12 and under]
- Student General Admission – FREE [with valid Gator1 ID]
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