The No.
11 University of Florida volleyball team earned its ninth sweep of the season, defeating
the Ole Miss Rebels in three sets (25-14, 25-12, 25-22) to remain unbeaten in
the SEC (8-0). The Gators move to 14-2 in 2012 while the Rebels fall to below
.500 at 8-9 on the season and 2-6 in conference play.
Reigning
SEC Offensive Player of the Week Živa Recek (Kočevje, Slovenia) led
all players on the floor with a match-high 17 kills, hitting .385 with two
blocks for 18.5 points. Sophomore defensive specialist Holly Pole (Ocala,
Fla.) had one of the best matches of her career, tallying a season-high 13 digs
and a career-high three aces, tying for the team high with senior middle
blocker Betsy Smith (Atlanta, Ga.), who also turned in a career high (3)
in aces. Pole led the team in digs for the first time in her career.
“This
match was the tale of the first two sets,” Florida head coach Mary Wise said.
“We just got into such a great serving rhythm and scored some relatively easy
points off the serve. We addressed the team during the break, saying that if Ole
Miss found some passing rhythm, they have enough point scorers that (the match)
would look very different. Lo and behold, that’s what happened (in the third
set). They started passing well and Kara Morgan, their junior outside hitter who
is playing the best volleyball of her career, kind of went off there.
“But to
win the first two (sets) like we did and have to grind it out for the third one
and be able to rest Chloe (in the third set), it was a good night for the
Gators,” Wise commented.
Junior
middle blocker Chloe Mann (Gainesville, Fla.) hit .750 with an errorless
six kills to go along with three blocks. On the night, the Gators put up 10.0
blocks for their fourth-straight double-digit blocking effort of the season and
fifth overall. Freshman outside hitter Gabby Mallette (Orange Park,
Fla.) stuffed four blocks on the evening, adding four errorless kills against
the Rebels.
“Being
able to help defensively just really helps our team with momentum and energy
because I feel like that’s where we get most of it,” Mallette said. “It feels
great being able to help and to be out (playing) on the court in general. It
feels good.”
Junior
setter Taylor Brauneis (Crystal Lake, Ill.) directed the Gators to a
.337 hitting percentage against the Rebels, the 11th time Florida has hit above
.300 in 2012. Sophomore libero Taylor Unroe (Muncie, Ind.) scooped 10
digs and served up two aces on the night.
The
Gators rattled off four straight points to open the match behind the serve of Smith
and continued to roll, taking an 8-2 advantage into the first set. Recek put up
a solo stuff and put down a slam through the seam of the block to go ahead,
10-2. Recek and Smith teamed up for a block to continue the Gator lead, 13-7.
Ole Miss began to chip away at the Florida advantage, pulling within three at
13-10, forcing a Gator timeout. The Orange and Blue got the momentum back on
their side of the net, ending the set on a 10-4 run. Senior right-side hitter Tangerine
Wiggs (Seattle, Wash.) put the opening set away with her first kill of the
match, 25-14.
The
second set was much tighter than the first, as the teams battled neck-and-neck
to open the frame. Ole Miss pulled within one of Florida with the Gators
leading 8-7 but the Orange and Blue went on a tear, outscoring the Rebels 13-2
to pull away at 21-9, highlighted by four service aces and an impressive stuff
by Mallette and Mann. Recek put away three kills in the closing points to give
the Gators the second set, 25-12.
The
Gators jumped out to a significant lead in the third set, as Brauneis used her
tricky jump float to keep the Rebel passers on their heels. Back-to-back Gator
blocks kept the Florida momentum as Ole Miss burned a timeout with the Orange
and Blue leading, 7-1. The Rebels weren’t about to back down, slowly chipping
away at the Gator lead to pull within two of the Florida lead, 11-9. Ole Miss
looped a kill into the middle of the Gator defense, inching within one of the
UF advantage, 12-11. An Ole Miss ace out of the break and an ensuing dumped
kill by senior Amanda Philpot gave the Rebels their first lead of the match, as
Florida trailed 13-12. The Gators continued to fight and took back control of
the set off a dumped kill by Brauneis, forcing a Rebel timeout at 20-18.
Florida kept the two-point advantage late in the set, and Smith’s third ace of
the night set up match point for the Gators, 24-22. A Rebel error titled the
third frame in the Gators’ favor, 25-22.
