Florida’s volleyball team has been on a tear.
Ever since dropping a set to the unranked Oregon Ducks on Aug. 27, the Gators have run through their competition, sweeping each of their next four opponents in straight sets. No team has lost by less than five points in a set.
Sunday was no exception.
Squaring off against LIU Brooklyn, No. 8 Florida stretched its unbeaten streak to 17 sets, claiming its sixth victory of the season in the process.
Playing its second game in as many days, UF (6-1) got off to a sluggish start. With head coach Mary Wise electing to rest star middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan, the Blackbirds (1-8) opened an early 6-3 advantage.
However, Florida responded. Latching onto a set from Allie Monserez, senior Alex Holston spiked home a kill, sparking a 15-3 run highlighted by Holston’s back-to-back service aces.
The second set brought more of the same. An early 8-1 run gave the Gators an insurmountable advantage, one preserved by the play of freshmen middle blockers Darrielle King and Rachael Kramer.
“This was a great match to get players experience,” Wise said in a release. “We see the growth of our freshmen middles and it was a match where they were given the opportunity and took full advantage of it.”
Posting three in the second set — including the decisive set-point winner — King notched a career-high nine kills during the match. Hitting an error-free .714, Kramer managed five total kills throughout the contest, with two coming in the second frame. Both players would finish among the club’s top-three in blocks for the day.
All Florida needed to do was close out the third set.
After a back-and-forth start, freshman defensive specialist Chanelle Hargreaves made her mark, hammering back-to-back service aces against LIU’s Natalia Rivera to nudge Florida ahead 9-5 and giving the Gators their fifth match this season with at least five aces.
And although UF allowed its opponent to knot the score at 12, freshman Morgyn Greer inspired a 9-0 run, chipping in three kills of her own.
In all, six Florida freshmen contributed in the rout, a promising sign of the group’s development.
That development will soon be put to the test — facing arguably their strongest opponent since No. 1 Nebraska, the Gators will close out an eight-game road trip against No. 13-ranked Florida State this Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Contact Alejandro López at alopez@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @ajlb95.
UF's Carli Snyder (left) and Rhamat Alhassan celebrate during Florida's 3-0 win against New Hampshire Dec. 3, 2015, in the O'Connell Center.
