Heading into the third set of its match against SEC rival LSU, the Florida volleyball team held a substantial 2-0 set lead and was on its way to a third-straight victory.
So it decided to try out a few new attacks.
Down 18-6, the Tigers attacked, but the hit was saved by UF freshman Allie Gregory. She passed it to setter Allie Monserez.
The two Allie’s exchange would normally lead to a hitter or middle blocker blasting the ball into enemy territory off a set by Monserez.
Instead, Monserez hooked the ball over the net, catching the Tigers completely off guard.
Then, on the next play, she did it again.
“We got into more of a groove as the match went on,” Monserez said in a release “Everyone was working really well together.”
The play of Monserez and the Gators (15-2, 5-1 SEC) proved to be too much for the LSU Tigers (7-11, 2-5 SEC), as UF won the set and the game 3-0. The victory was Florida’s 9th sweep of the season.
Monserez, who already leads the nation in assists per set with 12.30, continued her success on Friday night with 32 assists and 16 digs. It was the redshirt sophomore’s third double-double on the year.
“We were really working on our rhythm this week,” Monserez said. “Everyone was working really well together.”
Her ability to make quick decisions on the best person to set allowed other teammates to dine on a soft LSU defense that left the court exposed. Outside hitters Carli Snyder and Shainah Joseph accounted for over half of the Gators’ 40 kills, totaling 21. The team posted a hitting percentage of .314 for the match.
“It was the night of our left sides,” coach Mary Wise said in a release. “Both Shainah Joseph and Carli Snyder had terrific nights.”
The main threat to the Gators defense was junior outside hitter Gina Tillis, who had a game-high 14 kills on the night. However, Tillis also totaled eight errors, and the Tigers had a hard time stopping their own mistakes. With 28 errors throughout the entire match, LSU couldn’t get into a consistent groove offensively. They were able to score over 15 points in only one of the game’s three sets.
The Gators face another SEC rival in Texas A&M on Sunday at 5 p.m. to conclude their two-game weekend road trip.
Contact Skyler Lebron at slebron@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @SkylerLebron.
UF's Shainah Joseph swings for a kill attempt against Mississippi State. The sophomore middle blocker recorded seven kills and five blocks as No. 8 seed Florida defeated ninth-seed Illinois in the third round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Ames, Iowa.
