Mary Wise will be the first to tell you she doesn’t care how many wins she has.
On Friday, Wise collected her 800th win against Northern Kentucky (4-4) on the first day of the Gator Invitational.
Florida’s 3-0 (25-21, 25-15, 25-15) win over the Norse was its fourth consecutive sweep.
“Honestly it’s just a round number,” Wise said on Wednesday. “It’s a reflection of the talent that has come through this program for a long time.”
Florida certainly relied on its talent en route to a 6-0 start in Wise’s 27th season in Gainesville.
“It’s no surprise to me that she’s at 800 (wins),” sophomore Rachael Kramer said. “She’s a fantastic coach and a fantastic person. That’s why I came to this program.”
Seniors Rhamat Alhassan (9) and Carli Snyder (10), along with Kramer (13), combined for 32 of Florida’s 47 kills.
Snyder added four service aces and 11 digs, as well. Alhassan led all players with six blocks.
Kramer, who entered the tournament ranked sixth in the NCAA with a .494 hitting percentage, hit a season-best .765 against the Norse.
As a team, Florida dominated in kills, hitting percentage and blocks for the second time in a day.
The Gators more than doubled the kill counts of both of their opponents today. Against FAMU the team held a 43-21 advantage, and they outdid Northern Kentucky 47-23.
Team hitting percentage was equally lopsided. Florida hit .296 for the match, and held Northern Kentucky to .047. The Gators also doubled the Norse’s block count.
Freshman Paige Hammons, redshirt freshman Mia Sokolowski and junior Taelor Kellum, who hit the game-winner against FAMU, had three kills apiece. Senior Shainah Joseph added four kills of her own.
Redshirt junior Allie Monserez led all players with 28 assists, and sophomore Cheyenne Huskey pitched in 11. Senior libero Caroline Knop had a game-high 18 digs.
After the game, Wise lauded the leadership within her team.
“The constant, though, is the play of Rhamat, Carli and CK...,” she said. “They have more matches under the belt than the rest of the team combined. We rely on those seniors.”
The Gators return to action against Lipscomb on Saturday at 7 p.m., and will face No. 20 Florida State on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
You can follow Andrew Huang on Twitter @AndrewJHuang, and contact him at ahuang@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.
