In another weekend sweep of Southeastern Conference foes, Florida found solace in one player who has not played much this season.
Florida’s (10-3, 4-0 SEC) wins over LSU (5-7, 0-3 SEC) on Friday and Mississippi State (5-14, 0-4 SEC) on Sunday left the Gators tied with Kentucky in SEC play as the only two undefeated teams in the conference.
But while Florida still battles for No. 1 in the conference, it was business as usual for the Gators, whose weekend ended more or less in the same fashion as it is previous weekend matches.
However, instead of freshman Rhamat Alhassan or junior Mackenzie Dagostino being the players to shine, it was outside hitter Gabby Mallette who took the praise.
"Gabby — right now — not only is she hitting in the high efficiency level, but she’s making really good hitting choices," coach Mary Wise said. "Her hitting, we call it a hitting cone, has really expanded. She is an excellent left-side blocker for us, so to see both parts of this game continuing to get better and better, I really like the physical presence she’s brings to the court."
Against LSU, Mallette had time in all four sets and made 12 kills on 21 attempts with only one error, completing the match with a .524 hitting clip. Defensively, the junior had one dig and one block assist.
Her play against Mississippi State on Sunday was just as just as good, if not better.
Mallette finished the match with nine kills on 19 attempts with three errors and finished with a .316 hitting percentage in just three sets. Again, defensively she provided much needed blocking for Florida with two total blocks — one block assist and one solo block — and added two digs in the match.
While Mallette made more errors in her outing against Mississippi State than against LSU, Wise said Mississippi State was able to effectively block Florida’s kill attempts.
"The right-side hitters or the middle-hitters hitting behind the setter have to really take into account how much space she takes up," Wise said. "So whether they choose to set away from her or maybe alter the shots, either way she helps us with her presence."
Mallette has seen less time on the court this season because of Florida’s depth in its roster.
Last season, Mallette was an integral cog in the Florida volleyball machine. She finished the season having played in 31 of 32 matches with 2.41 kills per set.
She was second in solo blocks with 16 behind former Florida player Chloe Mann (17).
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Gabby Mallette swings for a kill attempt during Florida's 3-0 win against Ole Miss on Sept. 28.
