After a tough five-set loss to Auburn last Sunday, the Florida volleyball team responded with a victory over Alabama on Friday night.
Junior Alex Holston led all players with 17 kills, senior Simone Antwi tallied 11 kills on .786 hitting with no attack errors and the No. 15 Gators (19-5, 11-4 Southeastern Conference) earned a hard-fought sweep over the Crimson Tide (13-14, 7-6 SEC), 25-22, 25-23, 25-16.
“Simone, as she has shown all season, is playing the best volleyball of her career,” coach Mary Wise said.
The match was tightly contested from the first point, a thunderous kill by Holston that gave the Gators an early lead.
After trading points, Florida took an 18-14 advantage and held on to capture the first set.
Much like in the first, Florida and Alabama traded blows throughout a second set that featured 12 tie scores and five lead changes. Down 20-22, however, Florida went on a 5-1 closing run to capture the set and establish a commanding 2-0 lead.
Alabama was never able to recover.
The third set was a blowout, as the Gators raced to a 12-4 advantage and never looked back. Florida made quick work of the Crimson Tide to seal the sweep.
“I thought that the difference in the third set was we served the ball much better and we blocked much better,” coach Mary Wise said.
“We…altered their shots, created hitting errors and made adjustments that just weren’t there in the second set.”
The Gators’ offense, ranked No. 1 in the nation in hitting percentage (.317), was on full display on Friday. To complement Holston and Antwi, sophomore middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan added nine kills on .438 hitting, while outside hitter Cali Snyder hit .462 with seven kills. Senior setter Mackenzie Dagostino poured in 42 assists.
Florida’s offense had only eight attack errors, and the team posted a .414 hitting clip for the match while holding Alabama to just .220.
The victory gave Florida it’s ninth sweep of its last 11 opponents.
The Gators next play at home on Sunday against Tennessee at 1:30 p.m. on the SEC Network +.
Follow Brian Lee on Twitter @brianlee_17
UF right-side hitter Alex Holston (3) celebrates during Florida's 3-0 win against St. John's on Sept. 17, 2015, in the O'Connell Center.
