Carli Snyder stepped to the baseline on the right side of the court. From about five feet out, Snyder approached the line and sent a serve that knocked over a Florida State defender.
Snyder's serve was a microcosm for UF's match Tuesday, as the Gators pushed around and knocked down No. 19 FSU on their way to a 25-21, 25-15, 25-12 win. With the victory, UF doubled the amount of wins over its in-state rival, now leading the all-time series, 40-20.
Coach Mary Wise said in a postgame interview that it was one of the team’s most complete matches it has played this season.
“We were low-error,” Wise said. “The fact that we took 120 swings and only hit seven balls out of bounds, that’s hard to do in practice let alone in a match. Offensively, we did so many good things. But, again, the story continues to be what we can do defensively.”
There was all-around production from Florida with four players notching eight or more kills. Leading in that category was senior Carli Snyder with 12 kills. Snyder also had 12 digs, giving her a double-double for the third straight game.
SEC Player of the Week Rhamat Alhassan contributed as well, providing the Gators with 10 kills and four blocks.
And finally, sophomore Rachael Kramer built on her impressive 2017 campaign, accumulating 10 kills and adding to her SEC-leading hitting percentage.
As a team, Florida hit .317, its second-highest hitting percentage of the year, trailing only its .354 effort against NC State.
But it wasn’t just the offense that played a role for UF. The team allowed only 32 kills on 113 attempts while forcing 20 attack errors in the process. Florida also had four service aces to complement its defensive efforts.
In a close match throughout the first two sets, Florida found a way to pull through and find FSU’s weaknesses. The Gators went on an 11-1 scoring run to kick off the third set and never looked back.
After the game, Alhassan said the first and second sets were used to make adjustments and figure out what FSU was doing, which led to the blowout in the final frame.
“By the third set, we had them. We got them,” Alhassan said. “We knew what we were doing, we knew how to do it and we just kept on going.”
For Florida State, there weren’t too many bright spots in the Sunshine Showdown. Senior Milica Kubura led all players with 13 kills, while junior setter Brianne Burkert led all players with 25 assists. Senior Shainah Joseph said Kubura was an effective right-side hitter and containing her was key for the Gators.
“She was scoring a lot in the beginning,” Joseph said. “But then we made an adjustment with our blocking and our defense and we started defending her. So I think that was the biggest thing we focused on this game.”
It was the Gators' last match before starting SEC play. To begin their conference schedule, UF will travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to take on the Razorbacks. Arkansas (10-2) heads into the match with the current leader in kills per set throughout the nation, redshirt senior Pilar Victoria (6.31 per set).
Wise talked about preparing for the Razorbacks and having to face the “hottest hitter in the country.”
“She has a fast arm and it will be a challenge for our players,” Wise said. “But I think they’ll embrace the challenge.”
You can follow Justin Ahlum on Twitter @justinn_case1, and contact him at jahlum@alligator.org.
UF middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan holds the ball during Florida's 3-0 win against Florida A&M on Friday at the O'Connell Center.
