Behind a flawless night for Florida’s middles and
double-digit kills for two Gator underclassmen, the No. 3 Florida volleyball
team swept Texas A&M, 3-0 (25-9, 25-23, 25-17), in front of a season-high
3,533 Gator faithful Friday night at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The
victory gave Florida head coach Mary Wise her 700th win at the helm of
the Gator program.
Sophomore middle blocker Simone Antwi tallied a
match-high 12 kills on 19 swings for a .632 hitting percentage, adding two blocks
to lead all players with a match-high 13.5 points. Senior middle blocker Chloe
Mann was also errorless on the night, hitting a match-high .643 with nine
kills on 14 swings for her seventh error-free performance of 2013.
Quick Hits:
·
Freshman Alex Holston turned in her eighth match of the season
hitting at .400 and above. The Gator rookie hit .474 with 10 kills on 19
swings.
·
Mann is hitting .468 for her career, as she is the NCAA active leader in the category and sits even with the NCAA
record holder in career hitting percentage, Penn State's Arielle Wilson (.468).
Mann needs 250 more attempts to be eligible for the NCAA record (approx. 17
attacks/reg. season match).
·
Senior setter Taylor Brauneis dished
out 32 assists for the Orange and Blue while narrowly missing a double-double
with eight digs. Brauneis set Florida to a .369 hitting percentage, the 12th
time the Gators have hit above .300 in 2013.
·
Junior defensive specialist Madison
Monserez scooped a match-high 11 digs Friday night, her second double-digit
dig output of the season.
·
Junior libero Taylor Unroe has not registered a reception error
in 10 straight matches and tallied nine digs against the Aggies.
·
Against Texas A&M, Florida is now 8-0 all-time, including 6-0 under
head coach Mary Wise.
Not On Our Watch: Florida has forced 11 of its 15
opponents to operate at under .200 hitting efficiency, including three
offensive outputs at .000 and below. The Gators held the Aggies to .172 offensive
clip Friday night, including a -.107 in the first set.
NCAA Numbers: Senior Chloe Mann is second in
the NCAA in hitting percentage (.513), while the Gators are second in the
nation with a .339 offensive clip. Senior setter Taylor Brauneis is 12th
in assists (11.48/set) and 14th in aces (.48/set).
Mary’s Minute: “The 700th win (at Florida) means just
as much to me as the 147th. It’s a nice round number. It gives us the
opportunity to step back and acknowledge how blessed we are that we came to
Florida, and that this program has thrived with all the support we have from
the administration. We have had some talented players come through this program
who contributed to these 700 wins.”
Mary by the Numbers:
At Florida: 700-81
All-Time: 781-144
Records: Florida: 14-1 (3-0 SEC), Texas A&M:
9-4 (1-1 SEC)
Up Next: Florida has a split weekend as the Gators
travel to Tuscaloosa to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. First serve is set
for 2:30 p.m. ET and Gator fans can listen live on Sunday, October 6 on ESPN
850 and GatorZone.com.
Tide to Watch: Freshman middle blocker Krystal
Rivers ranks third in the SEC and 14th in the nation in hitting percentage
(.437). Named SEC Freshman of the Week on Sept. 23, Rivers leads the Crimson
Tide in points/set (4.25) and blocks (.85).
All-Time: The Gators are undefeated against both
of this weekend’s opponents. Florida boasts a 37-0 record over Alabama,
including 35-0 under Mary Wise.
