This season, Allie Monserez has been dominant.
Florida’s success has been in large part due to its setter executing well-timed sets to her teammates and allowing hitters to attack aggressively.
The redshirt sophomore has both created kills for teammates and acted as the catalyst for the offense.
“Everyone’s in the same mindset,” Monserez said Wednesday. “It just allows me to distribute the ball really well… It all really came together.”
Through the first 18 matches of the season, Monserez has averaged a nation-leading 12.35 assists per set. And she has shown no signs of slowing down.
In an Oct. 14 road battle with LSU, Monserez boasted a double-double, totaling 32 assists and a seasn-high 16 digs.
Two days later, she followed that up with a 57-assist showcase on the road against Texas A&M. The performance tied her season high for assists. The other time came in an Oct. 2 match against Tennessee.
Her strong play earned her Southeastern Conference Player of the Week and the ACVA Player of the Week award, given to the best players in the nation.
And on Wednesday, ESPNW announced that Monserez also won its Player of the Week award, marking the sixth accolade — she earned three SEC Setter of the Week awards during the beginning of the season — of the year for Monserez.
While a lot of attention can go to hitters or middle blockers who get large doses of kills per match, Monserez drastically affects their play as well.
Middle blockers Rachael Kramer and Rhamat Alhassan have hitting percentages of .490 and .414, ranked first and 11th in Division I, respectively.
“Allie and I were connecting so well this weekend," Alhassan said.
"As a middle, I can’t do anything… without Allie setting me.”
Monserez’s play is also affected by other back-row players, such as libero Caroline Knop, hitter Carli Snyder and defensive specialist Allie Gregory.
Florida’s deep rotation of players that are defensively sound make it much easier for Monserez to get in a groove and find teammates on a consistent basis.
“Those three are our workhorses in terms of the first contact," coach Mary Wise said of Knop, Snyder and Monserez.
Now, as the Gators prepare for a four-game home stand, they must make sure they don’t get too comfortable and underestimate upcoming SEC opponents.
Both Mississippi State, which Florida plays tonight, and Georgia carry sub-.500 conference records, but that doesn’t mean that they should be overlooked.
With the team clicking and all facets of its game executing properly, Monserez is confident that good things are to come.
“With everyone playing so well together," Monserez said, "if we keep playing like that, it’s just a fun environment to be in."
Contact Skyler Lebron at Slebron@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @skylerlebron.
Allie Monserez (22) celebrates with teammate Rhamat Alhassan during Florida's Sept. 17, 2016, win over Marshall in the Lemerand Center.
