Rhamat Alhassan and Mackenzie Dagostino were in sync with each other Friday night.
The pair jumped with their arms stretched upward, forming a wall to block an attack to give the Gators the match point at 24-11 in the third set.
Two points later, Dagostino set a ball high above the net for Alhassan, who emphatically slammed it down for the match-ending kill, as No. 5 Florida volleyball swept Ole Miss (25-19, 25-22, 25-12) in UF’s Southeastern Conference opener Friday night in the O’Connell Center.
Alhassan, the sophomore middle blocker, filled the stat sheet by leading the match in both kills (12) and blocks (7).
“She’s very disruptive at the net,” head coach Mary Wise said. “ She alters a lot of shots. It’s difficult to score on her.”
Dagostino, the senior setter, tallied 37 assists. The Tampa native finished with her fifth double-double of the season by recording 12 digs.
“It’s definitely a tribute to our passers and Mackenzie,” Alhassan said. “I wouldn’t be able to do anything I did without them.”
Most of Alhassan’s work came in the first set.
Behind her seven kills, Florida (9-1, 1-0 SEC) edged out Ole Miss (14-2, 0-1 SEC) 25-19, while holding the Rebels to just a .194 hitting clip.
The second set followed a similar path.
Although Ole Miss fought scrappily and exchanged the lead four times, the Gators ultimately came out on top 25-22 when Carli Snyder finally put set point away with a kill after dropping it three straight points.
Before the third set, Wise said she asked her players in the locker room if they could take their game to another level while up 2-0.
The Gators did.
Florida jumped out to an 8-1 lead with sophomore defensive specialist Samantha Dubiel behind the service line.
UF didn’t look back after that, limiting the Rebels to just a -.057 set hitting percentage and easily taking the set 25-12.
“I think the team really responded,” Wise said. “That was one of our better third set performances all year.”
Florida will next take on No. 24 Kentucky at home Sunday at 1 p.m.
“They’re bigger and more physical than a lot of teams we’ll play, so it’ll be a great match on Sunday,” Wise said.
Follow Patrick Pinak on Twitter @Pinakk12
UF setter Mackenzie Dagostino (6) and middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan (1) jump for a block during Florida's 3-1 win on Sept. 20, 2015, in the O'Connell Center.
