Having Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew in town put the spotlight on Mississippi State on Sunday afternoon as he watched his younger sister Callie from the bleachers.
But the spotlight wasn’t bright enough to eclipse the Bulldogs’ demise to No. 12 Florida (20-3, 11-1 SEC) as the Gators swept Mississippi State in a three-set win (25-18, 25-15, 25-21). It was Florida’s ninth win in a row, and its undefeated streak was maintained with its 52nd-straight win over the Bulldogs (13-13, 2-12 SEC).
With the win, here are Florida’s three stars from the match:
Lauren Dooley, one star
If one thing has been established this season it’s that sophomore middle blocker Lauren Dooley has truly come into her own on this Gators squad.
Dooley logged 10 kills on the match, her second double-digit kill outing of the season, leading her team with a kill percentage of .833 on 12 attacks, her highest percentage of the season.
Dooley was also one of three players to log a block and hit over .300 on the afternoon. The sophomore ranks first on the roster in blocks/set at 1.17 per set, block assists at 75 and total blocks at 83.
Paige Hammons, two stars
Normally, sophomore outside hitter Thayer Hall is leading the charge on the court as one of the most dominant players in every match. However, her counterpart, Paige Hammons, led the match Sunday afternoon.
The junior outside hitter had a great match, leading her position group in kill percentage (.480).
Hammons notched her seventh 10-kill-plus match in the win over the Bulldogs going 10 for 26 with only two errors.
In addition to her offensive skills, Hammons led the roster from the service line with two aces on the match (tying defensive specialists Riley Fischer and Chanelle Hargreaves).
Marlie Monserez, three stars
Sophomore setter Marlie Monserez also had a great match, controlling her offense at a pace of 42 assists on the match against the Bulldogs.
In addition to her 11th 40-plus-assist match, Monserez logged four kills on six attempts Sunday afternoon.
Since the start of the season, Monserez has showed her double-threat level of play with her ability to lead her offense and attack along the net.
It has forced teams to take her role along the net seriously and keep an eye on her when it comes to the block before releasing to block a hitter.
Florida will return home to take on the LSU Tigers at the O’Connell Center on Friday evening at 7.
Follow Mari Faiello on Twitter @faiello_mari. Contact her at mfaiello@alligator.org
Paige Hammons.
