Before Sunday afternoon’s match with Alabama, the Florida volleyball team celebrated one of the most prominent players in program history.
With her family, teammates and coach at center court, senior hitter Alex Holston made her way through the tunnel to join them, commemorating her four years of play as a member of the Gators.
“I actually didn’t think I was gonna be that emotional walking out,” Holston said. “But I was actually about to cry.”
If she was emotional, her play didn’t show it.
On the very first play of the match, UF setter Allie Monserez flicked the ball high toward the right side of the court. Holston leapt into the air and delivered a hammer-like blow on the back of the ball, sending it rocketing toward the opponent’s floor for the first kill of the match.
And that was just the beginning.
The No. 6 Gators (24-2, 14-1 Southeastern Conference) swept the Crimson Tide (17-11, 6-9 SEC) for Florida’s 12th-straight victory. The win also signaled the Gators’ eighth sweep in a row, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since 2013.
Due to five service errors by Florida, the Tide played the Gators close during a sloppy first set.
However, a 9-3 run led by Holston and middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan, who combined for 10 kills in the opening frame, helped the Gators take the set 25-18.
“There were so many service errors that we just didn’t have an opportunity to go on runs,” UF coach Mary Wise said.
“When we were able to go on runs, that’s when the match sort of shifted.”
Florida’s steady play in the second and third sets proved to be the difference.
The Gators captured the second set 25-16 due to four service errors and seven attack errors by Alabama.
Florida’s defense, led by Alhassan in the front row and libero Caroline Knop in the back row, was stout, holding the Crimson Tide to a negative .032 hitting percentage in the set.
In the third and final frame, the Gators came out hot, gunning to a quick 10-2 lead. Florida stifled the SEC’s kills leader, Krystal Rivers, at the net. Rivers tallied just seven kills and hit 0 percent for the match.
“The kills did not come easy (for her),” Wise said of Rivers.
“It was a great challenge to see how we measured up, and I thought the team really responded today.”
Outside hitter Carli Snyder led Florida with 12 kills. Alhassan and Holston tallied 11 and 10 kills, respectively.
For the match, the Gators played their fifth contest in a row hitting over .350. They also held the Tide to a .000 hitting percentage and had 42 kills to Alabama’s 21.
As for Holston, it wasn’t her last match at home, but it was the only opportunity her family could make the 800-mile trek from Olney, Maryland, to come watch her play.
“Her game is so elite. … She just does her job,” Wise said of Holston. “I may have to go into therapy to get over her graduation.
“But we’re just gonna enjoy this ride for as long as it lasts.”
Contact Ray Boone at rboone@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @rboone1994.
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.
