All Mary Wise said to Gabby Mallette was to be herself.
"I asked her right before she went in, and I said that ‘Gabby when you finally get your chance and it’s a decent look, be Gabby,’" Wise said.
Up 2-1, on a six-point run and with a 24-23 lead in the fourth set, Florida needed one final point to avoid a fifth and final set that would allow American University a chance to steal the match.
Mallette stepped up with a powerful swing to earn the match-ending kill as the No. 4 Gators (2-0) defeated the Eagles (3-1) by a score of 3-1 Sunday afternoon in Washington, D.C.
Mallette’s kill was just her first of the season.
The senior outside hitter from Orange Park had just five total attacks this season prior to the match-ender.
"I couldn’t be more proud of Gabby because she had not gotten good looks, meaning prior to that swing all of the sets she got were broken plays," Wise said.
"She didn’t get a single good look. Not yesterday [and] not today."
Although the first set was back and forth between UF and AU, American ultimately topped Florida 26-24 after back-to-back kills at 24-24.
The Gators hit just .317 in the opening set, while the Eagles hit .351.
To regain some momentum, Florida turned to sophomore middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan in the second set.
Alhassan, who had just one kill in the first set, racked up six kills in the second, as American had no answer up front for the Glenarden, Maryland, native.
She finished the match with 12 kills, one solo block and a game-high eight block assists.
After swiping the second set 25-20, UF continued its success into the third set on the shoulders of junior right-side hitter Alex Holston.
Holston totaled seven kills and added a service ace to help Florida win the third set 25-15.
The fourth and final set proved the Gators’ resiliency.
American led for most of the set and was two points from tying the match at 2-2 after Sarah Katz earned a kill to run the score to 23-18.
But with senior defensive specialist Nikki O’Rourke behind the line serving, UF rattled off seven straight points to take the set 25-23 and earn the victory.
Florida won its three final points via kills from Holston, Alhassan and Mallette, in that order.
"Let that be Nicki’s role, that’d be just fine that we can run points off her serve," Wise said.
Wise said her team’s aggressiveness was the biggest factor in the win.
"What I tried to explain to the team afterwards was recognize what it feels like when we’re being an aggressive team, when we’re putting the pressure on another team," she said, "as opposed to what it feels like when someone is doing that to us."
The Gators will next travel to Austin, Texas, where they will have their hands full, as they play No. 13 Oregon on Friday and No. 3 Texas on Saturday.
A radio broadcast contributed to this report.
Follow Patrick Pinak on Twitter @Pinakk12
Gabby Mallette swings for a kill attempt during Florida's 3-0 win against Ole Miss on Sept. 28.
