It was a clean sweep for the Gators as they visited Puerto Rico to take part in the SEC-ACC Challenge. Over the weekend, Florida easily took down its two opponents, unranked N.C. State and then-No. 16 North Carolina, in sweeping fashion, as the team did not lose a single set in its two matches.
With the wins, UF moved up to No. 2 in the AVCA Poll, moving past former-No. 1 Stanford and trailing only the top-ranked Minnesota Gophers.
After the game against the Tar Heels on Sunday night, coach Mary Wise talked about the team going through some growing pains even after the successful weekend.
“A great learning opportunity,” Wise said. “The good news: I think I’ll have the players’ attention in practice next week.”
But what has developed over the course of the past four games is the efficiency of the Gators defense. In three of their first four matches, Florida has accumulated at least 11 blocks as a team.
Additionally, the team has held every one of their opponents to a hitting percentage of .175 or less this season. Prior to travelling to Puerto Rico for this past weekend’s games, coach Wise noted some solid defensive play from multiple players in their matchups against Texas and Nebraska two weeks ago.
“That was the epiphany we had as a program,” Wise said, “is that this 2017 Gators team can win with defense.”
In the game against the Tar Heels, Wise said North Carolina was “error-free,” making Florida search for another way to create points. Wise said the team was able to make up for it with its defensive effort and blocking.
The Gators registered 11 blocks against UNC on Sunday, which tied their season high. The performance also helped increase the team’s average blocks per set up to 2.8, the second-best mark in the SEC.
In an interview last week, sophomore Rachael Kramer, who has 16 block assists on the year so far, said she believes her blocking became “a lot better in the offseason.”
“I definitely worked on it a ton this summer,” Kramer said. “It was a huge focus for me.”
Another eye-popping stat has been the team’s ability to keep their opponents from finishing off plays. Through four games, the defense has held their opponents to a combined .150 hitting percentage and allowed only 165 kills on nearly 550 attempts.
So, despite having the best hitting efficiency in the nation last season, the Gators have found a recipe early in the season to obtaining wins — defense, defense, defense.
You can follow Justin Ahlum on Twitter @justinn_case1, and contact him at jahlum@alligator.org.
UF coach Mary Wise calls out instructions during Florida's 3-0 win against Auburn on Oct. 11, 2015, in the O'Connell Center. On Friday, Wise earned her 800th win as the coach of the Gators.
