Florida Drops Five-Set Battle to No. 17 Kentucky

Sunday, November 17

Gainesville, FL

3 PM

Florida Gators

21-4, 12-2SEC

#17 Kentucky

20-6, 13-2SEC

Kentucky

Florida

Florida Drops Five-Set Battle to No. 17 Kentucky

Sunday, November 17, 2019 | Volleyball

Box Score

Gators and Wildcats go the distance in a battle of the SEC

By: Katie Callahan

Box Score | Highlights

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In the battle of the top two teams in the SEC, No. 11 Florida fell to the 17th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday afternoon.

Kentucky took the first set 25-21 before Florida evened the match with a 25-15 win in the second set. The Gators won the third set 25-23, but the Wildcats grabbed the fourth set 26-24 to force a deciding fifth frame. Kentucky was victorious in the final frame, clinching it 15-12 to win the match.

The Gators hit .327 on the afternoon, led by 22 kills from Thayer Hall. Rachael Kramer pitched in 14 kills on 19 swings with just one error for a .684 clip, while Paige Hammons added 12 kills of her own.

Marlie Monserez conducted Florida's offense, dishing out 48 assists on the afternoon.

Four Gators finished in double-digit digs in the match: Allie Gregory (17), Monserez (16), Hammons (14) and Hall (11).

As a squad, Florida notched 11.0 blocks, led by seven from Kramer. Hall recorded five blocks of her own, while Monserez added three in the match.

Hammons registered four of Florida's eight service aces, tying her career-best mark.

The Gators are back in action on Wednesday against the Auburn Tigers in Auburn, Ala. First serve is slated for 9 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.

Records
No. 11 Florida (21-4, 12-2)
No. 17 Kentucky (20-6, 13-2)

How it Happened

Florida hopped out to the early 8-4 lead in the first set, but Kentucky clawed its way out of the deficit to tie the set at 9-9. From that point on, the set was a back-and-forth battle with neither team holding more than a two-point lead until the Wildcats took the 21-18 advantage. Kentucky was able to hold onto the lead, taking the first set 25-21.
- The Gators hit .261 in the first set, led by four kills from Thayer Hall. Rachael Kramer and Lauren Dooley each pitched in two kills of their own.
The second set was once again a tight battle between the two squads. Early on, Florida held the 11-6 lead, but the Wildcats fought back to tie the frame at 14-14. Florida then went on an 11-1 behind the serves of Holly Carlton and Paige Hammons to win the frame 25-15.
- Florida hit .412 in the second set and held Kentucky to a .135 clip. Paige Hammons and Hall each recorded five blocks in the set, while Kramer notched five blocks in the set.
With the third set knotted at 10 apiece, the Gators went on a four-point spurt behind the serves of Hall to take the 14-10 lead. Kentucky then went on a 10-4 run to take the 20-18 advantage late in the third set, but three consecutive kills from Hall put Florida up 21-20. UF won the race to 25, with a Kramer kill cementing the 25-23 victory to put Florida up 2-1 in the match.
- The Gators hit .349 in the frame, racking up 18 kills along the way. Kramer, Hall and Hammons each registered four kills, while Lauren Dooley added three of her own.
The two squads were tied 8-8 to start the fourth set, but Kentucky opened up a 7-3 run to take the 15-11 lead. The Wildcats continued to hold at least a three-point advantage, but the Gators battled back to within one at 19-18 behind the serves of Chanelle Hargreaves. Florida tied the frame at 20-20 and from that point on, the squads traded points before Kentucky closed out the set with a 3-0 run to win 26-24 and force a deciding fifth set.
- The Gators hit .276 in the frame, with Kramer and Hall both recording four kills.
Kentucky jumped out to the early 5-0 lead over Florida in the final set, but the Gators continued to fight, pulling to within one at 8-7. The Wildcats closed out the frame on a 7-5 run to secure the match victory.
- Florida hit .286 in the final set, led by five kills from Hall.

Notables

Thayer Hall recorded her 12th double-double of the year with 22 kills and 11 digs
Paige Hammons recorded her fifth double-double of the year with 12 kills and 14 digs
Marlie Monserez recorded her eighth double-double of the year with 48 assists and 16 digs
Florida drops to 51-16 against the Wildcats
The Gators are now 6-7 against Kentucky in five-set matches
Florida moves to 24-8 against the Wildcats in Gainesville, Fla.
The Gators move to 10-8 against Kentucky when both teams have been ranked in the AVCA Top-25 poll
UF drops to 5-2 in five-set matches this season

Thoughts from Coach Wise

"This was a great match between two teams at the top of the SEC. Both teams battled hard this afternoon."

Up Next

The Gators are back on the road to face Auburn on Wednesday night
First serve is slated for 9 p.m. on the SEC Network

No. 11 Florida at Auburn Broadcast Information
Time & Date: Sunday, Nov. 17 | 3 p.m.
TV Network: SEC Network | Live Stream: WatchESPN | Live Stats: Sidearm | Radio: ESPN 98.1 FM/850AM

Series Information – No. 11 Florida at Auburn

This is the 51st meeting between the two schools
Florida leads: 48-2 (44-1 under Mary Wise)
3-set: 34-0 | 4-set: 12-1 | 5-set: 2-1
Home: 24-0 | Away: 21-2 | Neutral: 3-0
Last Time Out: Sept. 29, 2019 | Gainesville, Fla. | W, 3-0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-12)

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