The Florida volleyball team hosted a block party on Saturday, and the whole Denver team was invited.
And 6-foot-4 All-American Rhamat Alhassan was there to greet the Pioneers — at the net.
The eighth-ranked Gators (5-1) cruised to a 3-0 sweep over the Pioneers (4-4) during the first match of the Blackbird Invitational in Brooklyn, New York.
With the win, the Gators collected their fourth-straight sweep of the season.
And they can thank their team captain for that.
The Pioneers had no answer for Alhassan — at all.
“To score 18 points as a three-rotation player tells you the level at which Rhamat Alhassan was (on Saturday),” UF coach Mary Wise said in a release. “She just has a way of changing a match both with her offense and her defense.”
The junior middle blocker slammed down a team-high 15 kills to tune of a .789 hitting percentage, registering zero attack errors in the process.
She was also a force on the defensive end.
On a day where Florida blocked 10 attacks, Alhassan stuffed five, helping the Gators hold their fourth-straight opponent to under a .100 hitting percentage.
Junior Carli Snyder continued her impressive start to the season by recording 11 kills against the Pioneers.
In doing so, Snyder has tallied at least 11 kills in every match this season.
She also chipped in six digs and a season-high four blocks.
It wasn’t all Alhassan and Snyder, however.
Several Gators made plays against the Pioneers, including Shainah Joseph.
During the first set of the match, Florida was leading 24-17. The redshirt junior, who had been sidelined for two weeks due to a tweaked ankle during the season-opener, drilled a spike off a set by Allie Monserez, winning the set for the Gators.
Freshmen Rachael Kramer and Allie Gregory also had a solid match.
The 6-foot-8 Kramer posted two kills and three roofs in the third set, and Gregory dropped over a career-high two service aces.
The Gators return to action today as they face LIU Brooklyn at noon as part of the final game of the Blackbird Invitational.
The Blackbirds (1-7) played a doubleheader on Saturday, winning the first match against NJIT and dropping the second match to Denver.
But Wise said she’s not focusing on short-term results.
It’s about what happens in the long run.
“We’re not getting caught up in results,” Wise said. “We’re just trying to be a better version of ourselves.”
Contact Ray Boone at rboone@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @rboone1994.
UF setter Mackenzie Dagostino (6) and middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan (1) jump for a block during Florida's 3-1 win on Sept. 20, 2015, in the O'Connell Center.
