After the match’s first set, it appeared as if South Carolina would be the first Southeastern Conference team to hand Florida a loss this season.
But the Gators responded with three straight victories to extend their winning streak to eight games and keep their conference record unblemished.
No. 8 Florida (13-3, 7-0 SEC) defeated South Carolina (13-5, 3-3) 3-1 Wednesday, receiving help from a variety of players to secure the win.
Despite limited playing time before the match, junior Ziva Recek finished with a season-best 12 kills, two blocks and a .357 hitting percentage.
"The story of the match is Ziva," coach Mary Wise said. "She comes in off the bench. … She raised her level, she did exactly what we asked our players to do. When your number is called, take advantage of it. (Wednesday) Ziva really answered the call."
The match was tied 9-9 in the first set before the Gamecocks scored four straight points. From there, South Carolina out blocked Florida and the Gators never regained the lead. UF dropped the first set 25-19 and fell into a 0-1 hole.
With the first set victory, South Carolina joined LSU as the only two SEC teams to win a set against Florida this season.
"Early on we just didn’t dig balls," Wise said. "We were hitting balls out of bounds. I think we were just pressing too hard."
Florida turned the momentum in the second set, at one point going on a 9-2 run to take a 20-13 lead.
Soon after, the Gators tied the match at one with a 25-18 victory.
After hitting .395 in the first, South Carolina never got close to its initial hitting clip for the remainder of the match.
"The big difference in the match was when we started limiting (South Carolina’s) offense," Wise said. "First set, they’re hitting .395. and then from there they didn’t hit over .100. We needed to make an adjustment… and that we did."
Florida jumped out to a 16-11 lead in the third set before cruising to a 25-13 win. After a back and forth final set, the Gators captured the victory with a 25-19 fourth set win.
Alex Holston was a large part of the victory and finished with 19 kills, eight digs and two service aces. Junior Mackenzie Dagostino contributed 48 assists and four total blocks.
"When you play a team that’s playing that well, that low error, I mean there’s no room for error," Wise said. "It’s a win on the road against a team that played well. I’ll take it."
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Outside hitter Ziva Recek swings at the ball during Florida's 3-0 win against Georgia Southern in the O'Connell Center.
