One block is all it would’ve taken.
Had Rhamat Alhassan stuffed the shot off the hand of one of Auburn’s hitters at match point in the fifth set on Sunday, the Gators would’ve found themselves in the middle of a 10-game win streak as the regular season begins to wind down.
“That block, it literally barely brushed off my fingers and went out of bounds,” the sophomore middle blocker said.
Instead, Florida dropped its fifth match of the season and is now 0-4 in five-set matches this season, proving the team has work to do in closing out games.
It starts with Alhassan and the rest of UF’s hitters creating kills.
Alhassan, who the Gators have leaned on offensively this year, had one of the worst nights of her career. Her .067 clip was the lowest this season and second lowest of her career.
But the 6-foot-4 Glenarden, Maryland, native credited the Tigers defense for stifling her.
“They were picking up balls left and right,” she said. “Our usual shots weren’t falling.”
Alhassan had the support of her head coach, Mary Wise, who said the margin of error in the match was thinner than usual.
“She is allowed to have an off night,” she said. “That’s her first one in two years.”
With little to no offensive production from Alhassan, Florida was forced to look outside toward the pins for kills.
Junior right-side hitter Alex Holston tallied 19 kills, though it paired with a .208 hitting percentage. Senior outside hitter Ziva Recek, who compiled 14 kills on a .419 line, was Florida’s sole offensive gem.
Ultimately, the Gators had trouble finding kills when Auburn’s defense began figuring out UF’s attack plans.
“What we struggled with was being more creative when our shots weren’t falling,” Alhassan said.
With fewer kills and more errors than usual, Florida’s mojo was in a state of flux.
Senior defensive specialist Nikki O’Rourke said she and her teammates feed off of kills to keep them energized throughout the match.
When UF’s shots couldn’t find the bottom of the floor, the Gators fell felt.
Sophomore outside hitter Carli Snyder said Auburn simply had more energy.
“We were at some points just getting through the match,” she said. “They were really playing every point like it was their last.”
With five regular season matches remaining, Florida knows it has to work to do to finish up strong and work out all the kinks before postseason play begins.
Alabama, who comes to Gainesville to take on the Gators Friday night at 7, will face a team looking to bounce back after a tough loss.
Florida will focus on limiting the Crimson Tide’s offense, which features two potent outside hitters and the Southeastern Conference’s leading setter.
Sierra Wilson leads the SEC with 11.82 assists per set, and Krystal Rivers and Kat Hutson rank third and fourth in the conference with 3.78 and 3.71 kills per set, respectively.
O’Rourke, who put up a career-high 33 digs last match, said sound, technical digs and blocks will be key in order to stop Alabama’s hitters.
“It’s all about making good reads and being stout on defense,” she said.
All three of Alhassan, Snyder and O’Rourke agreed they want to win this match in four sets or less.
“Hopefully we won’t be going to anymore fifth-set matches,” Alhassan said.
Follow Patrick Pinak on Twitter @Pinakk12
Rhamat Alhassan swings for a kill attempt during Florida's 3-0 win against Texas A&M on Oct. 9, 2015, in the O'Connell Center
