Nothing lasts forever.
The Gators volleyball team’s NCAA tournament run came to a screeching halt on Friday night after No. 11 seed Florida lost to No. 3 Texas in heartbreaking fashion, 25-22, 22-25, 19-25, 25-20, 15-17 in Austin.
Florida (25-7) had four players with double-digit kills — including Rhamat Alhassan’s game-high 19 on a .359 hitting clip — to go along with Mackenzie Dagostino’s 54 assists.
The Gators grabbed the lead early in the match, taking a 1-0 set advantage and stealing momentum in a back-and-forth set that saw 14 ties and four lead changes between the two teams.
However, Florida found itself in a hole after dropping the next two sets. The Gators hit under .200 in both the second and third sets, recording .191 and .135 marks, respectively.
But Florida showed resiliency in set four.
With UF down 12-15 in the fourth set, a determined Dagostino set out to make a run while behind the service line.
The senior setter served up three straight aces using her sinking topspin serve as part of a five-point swing that put the Gators ahead 17-15.
Florida then went on to take set four 25-20 to force a decisive fifth set.
After taking a 1-0 lead on one of junior right side hitter Alex Holston’s 13 kills, the Gators found themselves in a fight to the finish.
The two teams battled for control throughout the final set, with neither able to build a substantial lead.
With Texas(29-2) ahead 7-6 in the fifth set, sophomore outside hitter Carli Snyder rifled a shot toward the back service line. The ball, though clearly in bounds upon replay, was called out and gave Texas an 8-6 lead rather than evening the score at 7-7.
Down 10-11, Florida turned to its most consistent player all season.
With two punishing kills from Alhassan, Florida pushed ahead, 12-11.
But again, the Longhorns wouldn’t go away.
With the match tied at 15 and a berth in the Final Four hanging in the balance, junior outside hitter Paulina Prieto Cerame’s consecutive kills iced the game for Texas, ending the Gators’ season.
The match was closely contested throughout, with the Gators and Longhorns even in nearly every statistical category.
Florida had 72 digs compared to Texas’s 70.
The Gators had 10 total blocks as opposed to the Longhorn’s 13.
They had 61 assists, while the Longhorns had 63.
Both teams racked up 67 kills.
But in the end, it wasn’t enough to give Florida the victory.
Instead, it's the second consecutive season that Florida has lost in the Elite Eight.
In 2014, the Gators were swept out of the regional final match by Stanford.
The loss denied the Gators the opportunity to play in the Final Four — a place the team hasn’t been since it lost in the 2003 national championship game.
Follow Brian Lee on Twitter @brianlee_17
Rhamat Alhassan swings for a kill attempt during Florida's 3-0 win against Texas A&M on Oct. 9, 2015, in the O'Connell Center
