As they jogged out of the tunnel, the Gators were met with a tenacious roar from their fans. At the end of the game, the same roar erupted as the Gators finished their upset of No. 1 Texas.
In front of 7,523 people, the UF volleyball team was able to defeat the No.1 Texas Longhorns in four sets, 25-16, 25-23, 18-25, 25-21.
After dropping the third set, senior Rhamat Alhassan gathered the team into a huddle, sparking the Gators and pushing them to their first victory of the season. When asked about the conversation, coach Wise said she had to wait her turn to speak while Alhassan finished.
Snyder said the team is a group that can gather everything back together, even after having a tough set like the third.
“If we can be disciplined, if we can play Florida volleyball, if we can just be us, we can beat a lot of really good teams,” Snyder said. “So I think we had to remind ourselves and say that.”
When asked about the huddle, coach Wise talked about Alhassan and went further than that.
“She’s always been very driven,” Wise said. “And that is true of the senior class and where they are. It’s not just that they’re motivated, but this group is compelled.”
For Florida, it was their first win versus a No. 1 opponent since 2002 when they defeated Stanford in straight sets as the No. 6 team in the nation.
Snyder led the way for the Gators with a double-double, 14 kills and 20 digs, matching her career-high in digs from Florida’s game against Missouri in mid-November last season. Snyder also contributed six service aces, another career-high for the veteran outside hitter.
Her career-high in aces was also good enough to put her into the top 10 all-time for service aces in a match in Florida history.
When asked about how the crowd factored into the game, sophomore Rachael Kramer said it was a fun experience for her and the team.
“I feel all of us deserved to have a huge crowd there,” Kramer said. “We’ve worked so hard in the offseason and it was great to have all of the fans show up.”
When asked about the game and the effort of her players, coach Mary Wise said the team relied very heavily on their seniors, specifically noting Carli Snyder’s performance.
“We told the team beforehand no season is won or lost in August,” Wise said. “What (August) is, it’s a starting point.”
Senior Caroline Knop put up double digit digs, leading all players with 22. Alhassan also contributed to the match with nine kills and six blocks, and Kramer had 11 kills and five blocks of her own, while redshirt junior Allie Monserez and sophomore Cheyenne Huskey were responsible for a majority of the team’s assists, combining for a total of 44 between the two.
The Gators will face a quick turn around tomorrow, as they will host No. 5 Nebraska at 5 p.m. in Exactech Arena. The team will then enjoy a week-long break before taking a trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico for the SEC-ACC Challenge.
You can follow Justin Ahlum on Twitter @justinn_case1, and contact him at jahlum@alligator.org.
UF outside hitter Carli Snyder slams down a kill attempt during Florida's 3-0 win against Jacksonville on Sept. 16, 2016, inside the Lemerand Athletic Center.
