It was only fitting that the game concluded on a Rachel Kramer kill.
The sophomore contributed a game-high and career-best 20 kills, none bigger than the last one.
Leading 14-11 in the deciding set, Kramer spiked the ball between two Nebraska players, ending a back-and-forth contest between the No. 12 Gators (2-0) and the No. 5 Cornhuskers (0-2).
Nebraska and Florida traded blows the first four sets, alternating in convincing wins before UF maintained its momentum heading into the fifth set, ultimately securing a 3-2 (19-25, 25-18, 17-25, 25-18, 15-11) victory at Exactech Arena.
Florida followed Kramer’s lead at first. While some of her teammates struggled to get into a rhythm at first, Kramer helped keep Florida afloat.
“This whole match we didn’t really play like us,” Kramer said. “When we play like the Florida Gators, we’re a really unstoppable team. We just need to play Florida (volleyball).”
Eventually, the rest of the team caught fire as well.
The Gators started out sloppy, unable to maintain momentum in the opening set while falling to Nebraska.
In the second set, however, the two teams showed a reversal as Florida improved in all areas of play, while Nebraska could not stop the Gators’ attack.
The Cornhuskers took the lead once again in the third set after back-and-forth play from both sides that saw UF trail the entire set.
The Gators weren’t deterred, however, and rallied to steal the fourth from Nebraska. The score was tied seven times as both teams tried to maintain control before Florida forced a fifth set.
Florida rode that momentum to the end, where it did not trail the rest of the game, opening up with a 5-0 run to the delight of the home crowd.
Carli Snyder finished the game with a career-high 27 digs, and Allie Monserez (41 assists, 20 digs), Rhamat Alhassan (eight kills, eight blocks), and Caroline Knop (17 digs) also helped seal the deal.
“Oftentimes you don’t learn as much in a win as you do in a loss,” coach Mary Wise said. “This match, we learned more about our team tonight than even last night.”
The Gators opened the season with consecutive wins over top-5 opponents, including a 3-1 victory over No. 1 Texas in the season opener.
With the Gators’ 2-0 start to the season, Wise needs just four more wins to reach 800 since taking over as head coach of Florida volleyball.
The Gators return to action on September 2 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where they will face North Carolina State and North Carolina in the SEC-ACC Challenge.
You can follow Andrew Huang on Twitter @AndrewJHuang, and contact him at ahuang@alligator.org.
Rachael Kramer (right) attempts a block during Florida's 3-0 win over Jacksonville on Sept. 16, 2016, in the Lemerand Center.
