Another match, another win.
That’s been the common theme for the Gators in their last 15 matches as they have strung together their longest win streak in four years.
On Wednesday night, No. 7 Florida (20-3, 14-0 Southeastern Conference) earned its 15th straight victory and seventh consecutive sweep when it ousted Auburn (11-15, 3-10 SEC) 3-0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-10).
Florida’s .522 team hitting clip set a season high and marked the first time UF hit over .500 since last season’s win against Alabama on Oct. 6, 2013.
Junior Ziva Recek was a large part of the win, contributing nine kills off the bench and recording a career-high .643 hitting percentage, the highest since her freshman year.
"You have to work hard during practice. You can’t wait for someone to start playing bad," Recek said. "You have to keep improving. And that’s what I’m doing."
Sophomore Alex Holston finished with a match high 11 kills, two digs, two total blocks and one service ace.
"I think it was an all around team effort," Holston said. "It was great that all our hitters were having an on night because that just left (open) seams and one-on-one (opportunities)."
Florida jumped out to an early 12-6 lead in the first set before taking a 1-0 lead against Auburn.
The Tigers turned the momentum in the second, tallying an early 3-2 lead and taking advantage as Florida began to slack off.
"At that point we were being outplayed," coach Mary Wise said. "We didn’t have a block registered in that set. Auburn was making more digs. We just were a little passive."
The two conference foes swapped points until UF took a 14-13 lead midway through the second set.
From there, Florida held the lead for the remainder of the match.
With the shutout, Florida extended its consecutive set winning streak to 24, dating back to Oct. 15 against South Carolina.
Next, Florida will travel to Lexington, Kentucky, to face No. 15 Kentucky.
The Wildcats are riding a four-match winning streak and present the biggest challenge the Gators will face in conference play this year.
"We’re looking at it as it’s a match unto itself. It doesn’t matter what happened before, what happens after. It’s an opportunity to play a great team on their home court," Wise sad. "... (we) know all eyes in the country will be on this match. We’re embracing the opportunity."
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Ziva Recek swings for a kill attempt during Florida's 3-0 win against Auburn on Wednesday in the O'Connell Center
