The No. 11 Florida volleyball team is now 7-0 in conference play after a road win over South Carolina. Although the Gators swept their first four SEC opponents, this win over the Gamecocks is Florida’s third straight that lasted five full sets.
Sets 1-2
The Gators took an early advantage, winning the first two sets.
In set 1, Florida won 25-17. The team never trailed and hit a clip of .458 behind 13 kills. Freshman Thayer Hall made five kills in the frame during her return home. Hall is a native of Spartanburg, South Carolina and led her high school (Dorman) to back-to-back State Championships in 2016 and 2017.
Set 2 started off as a much closer battle, with the two teams tied 10-10. However, four kills, two blocks and two blocks put the Gators on a 15-5 run, while holding the Gamecocks to a .065 hitting percentage. Nine errors from South Carolina didn’t hurt either. Florida won the frame 25-15.
Sets 3-4
The Gators were not able to maintain that momentum, dropping the next two sets. During set 3, the two were tied 6-6. But, then it was the Gamecocks’ turn to go on a massive run… 13-6 to be exact. The battle went on until the score was 24-18 USC, but a final block from the Gamecocks ended the set. Florida did not make any blocks during set 3.
The fourth set saw both teams tied at 24-24. A South Carolina kill gave the Gamecocks the advantage, but the Gators forced the fifth set by making a blocking error. Florida made a stellar 18 kills despite the losing frame, hitting .400 as a team.
Set 5
Hall and Taelor Kellum made the difference in set 5. Another tie (this time it was at the halfway point of 7-7) turned into an 11-8 Gators lead behind three kills from the two players. Rachael Kramer sealed the deal with a kill and the team left South Carolina with its 16th win of the season.
Gator Notables
In Thayer Hall’s homecoming match, she made 16 kills. Holly Carlton and Rachael Kramer were not too far behind with 13 and 11 kills, respectively. Kramer also made a career-high nine blocks on the night.
Former Gamecock Allie Monserez registered her eighth double-double of the season, recording 24 assists and 14 digs. Monserez’s three service aces led the night as well. Monserez played at South Carolina her freshman year before transferring to Florida. She is currently in her redshirt senior year.
Up Next
Florida will re-match Alabama after sweeping the Tide earlier in the season. However, this time, the Gators will get home-court advantage. Catch this match on Sunday at 1:30 in the Exactech Arena or on the SEC Network.