Mary Wise doesn’t tear up often, but she made an exception for Mackenzie Dagostino.
When the senior setter’s name was called during the Senior Day ceremony prior to Friday’s game against LIU Brooklyn, Wise couldn’t help but shed a tear watching Dagostino walk toward her in the middle of the court.
“It shocked me,” Wise said. “Normally I don’t do that, but I know all that she’s been through to get here.”
Dagostino, who transferred to Florida from Maryland after her freshman year, said she started to tear up as well when she looked at Wise.
“She has emotions, I swear,” Dagostino said. “It kind of put it all in perspective for me. This is Senior Night, this is my last night in the regular season as a Gator.”
Dagostino closed out the regular season on a high note, compiling five kills, six blocks and 22 assists, as the No. 17 Gators swept LIU Brooklyn (25-16, 25-16, 25-19) in the O’Connell Center.
All five seniors were recognized before the game — Dagostino, Simone Antwi, Ziva Recek, Nikki O’Rourke and Gabby Mallette — but Dagostino stole the show once play began.
After jumping out to a 7-3 lead in set one, the Gators (22-6) let the Blackbirds tie it up 9-9.
Then Dagostino got aggressive.
The Tampa native slammed two kills as part of a five-point swing and a 14-9 Florida lead before UF surged on and won the first set 25-16.
Dagostino said she promised herself before the match that she’d get at least two kills.
“The opportunity presented itself enough times so it was kind of cool to just roll with it,” she said.
Three serving runs helped the Gators separate themselves from LIU Brooklyn (14-14) in the second set.
Down 3-2, junior right-side hitter Alex Holston took the ball behind the service line for six straight Florida points.
With UF up 11-9, Dagostino followed up an Antwi kill with three straight points, capped off by her lone ace of the match.
Recek’s four-point service run put UF ahead 24-14 before Florida took set two 25-16.
The Gators totaled eight service aces in the match, tying their season high.
Set three followed a similar pattern.
With a narrow 13-12 lead, Florida took off with the help of Antwi.
Antwi pounded three kills during a nine-point run that put UF ahead 22-12. The senior middle blocker from Fairfax Station, Virginia, tallied a match-high eight kills on 10 swings in the match.
Freshman middle blocker Taelor Kellum drilled just her third career kill to win set three 25-19 and seal the sweep.
Now, the Gators await their postseason fate, which they will learn Sunday at 9 p.m. during the NCAA Selection Show on ESPNU.
Wise said she thinks Florida has a good shot of hosting the first round of the tournament.
“I like our chances, but one thing we’ve learned is don’t ever try and guess what the committee is gonna do,” she said. “We’ll just wait for Sunday night to figure it out.”
Follow Patrick Pinak on Twitter @pinakk12
UF coach Mary Wise calls out to setter Mackenzie Dagostino during Florida's 3-1 loss to Kentucky on Sept. 27, 2015, in the O'Connell Center.
