Down 24-19 in the third set, Florida — on the brink of losing just its eighth set in 13 matches this season — turned to sophomore Chanelle Hargreaves, who served three consecutive times, each ending in a Florida point.
Hargreaves’ effort helped propel the No. 1 Gators to a win over the visiting Georgia Bulldogs on Sunday in the O’Connell Center.
A two-handed Rachael Kramer block clinched the victory, and Florida swept the Bulldogs (25-13, 25-23, 27-25) to remain undefeated.
Georgia challenged the play, but the call stood, as did the 3,413 fans in attendance.
“We always say find a way to win, no matter what the situation, find a way to win,” Hargreaves said after the match.
“It was so fun to watch (Hargreaves) do so well,” teammate Rhamat Alhassan said.
The Gators (13-0, 5-0 SEC) dominated the Bulldogs (12-7, 2-4 SEC) in the first set.
Florida did what it wanted early, nearly tripling Georgia’s number of kills and out-blocking the Bulldogs 4-0.
The second set was more competitive, although Florida still held on just enough to top the Bulldogs by two points.
Georgia finally found a rhythm in the third, where it managed to take the lead for much of the set.
Up to that point, Georgia’s only lead was a short-lived 1-0 advantage to start the second set.
The Gators’ comeback marks the team’s eighth sweep of the season, and third in its last four games.
Alhassan led the way for the Gators, tallying a game-high 14 kills with just two errors. Her hitting percentage of .571 was her second-best clip of the season.
Senior Carli Snyder made an impact on both ends of the floor with 10 kills and eight digs. Snyder has now hit double-digit kills in all but two matches this season.
Kramer, a sophomore, added seven kills, none bigger than the match-winner.
Paige Hammons got going early, getting three of her four kills in the first set. Hammons also had seven digs and two blocks in a balanced performance.
Mary Wise has only lost to Georgia once in her 27 years as Florida’s coach.
The Gators hit the road for a Friday night match against Ole Miss (12-7, 3-3 SEC) before taking on No. 10 Kentucky (13-2, 4-0 SEC) on at home.
“Oxford and Gainesville are not exactly travel partners,” Wise said when asked about the quick turnaround between Ole Miss and Kentucky.
“We don’t have much time to prepare, but that’s the way it is.”
You can follow Andrew Huang on Twitter @AndrewJHuang, and contact him at ahuang@alligator.org.
Chanelle Hargreaves serves the ball during Florida's 3-0 win against Florida A&M on Sept. 15, 2017, at the O'Connell Center.
