Alex Holston was clutch Friday night.
With a nail-biter of a second set tied 25-25, the junior right-side hitter slammed a kill to take the lead and then floated one over Mississippi State’s blockers to capture the set 27-25.
Holston’s 15 kills and finishing ability were enough, as the No. 11 Gators swept the Bulldogs (25-18, 27-25, 25-18) for their ninth straight win Friday night in the O’Connell Center.
The 15 kills for Holston were her highest total since Oct. 4 in a five-set loss to Arkansas.
Coach Mary Wise said Holston’s performance was surprising considering she didn’t receive that many good looks.
“It was like she made shots on the basketball court with two defenders going against her,” she said.
Florida (18-4, 10-3 Southeastern Conference) controlled the tempo well in the first set.
Backed by sophomore middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan’s six kills, two of which kicked off the match, UF cruised it’s way to a 25-18 win. Alhassan tied Holston with a match-high 15 kills.
But unlike the first, the second set was grueling.
The Gators fell in an early 2-6 hole that left them chasing the Bulldogs (14-11, 3-8 SEC) for most of the frame.
Florida tied up the set 11-11 but didn’t take the lead until 25-24 before Holston closed it out with a pair of kills.
Holston said the focus was to fight for every point.
“Until a team reaches 25 then the game’s not over,” she said.
Set three started in the same fashion as set two.
The Gators fell down 2-6 and were forced to rebound back.
After UF tied the set 15-15, the Gators went on a 10-3 run with the help of a six-point service run from senior defensive specialist Nikki O’Rourke.
Though Friday’s win was Florida’s fifth straight sweep, Holston said they can’t look too far ahead.
The Gators hit the road to face Auburn Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
“It’ll definitely be a challenge for us on the road against Auburn because they gave us some trouble last time,” Holston said.
Follow Patrick Pinak on Twitter @Pinakk12
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.
