The No.10 Gators volleyball team won the series against the Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford. The team clinched the win with a final score of 3-0, mirroring yesterday’s match win where they also defeated the Rebels with a sweep.
Friday’s game saw some back-and-forth action between the two teams, but the Gators dominated the match. The big factor was the serving performance by the entire team.
Set 1: 25-16 UF
The Gators started out the match strong with a 6-2 lead over the Rebels. The Rebels closed the distance to 6-4, but this was the smallest point difference between the two. At one point the Gators held a massive 16-7 lead, but would still finish out the set strong with an eight-point lead. The Gators dominated, holding the Rebels to a 0.40 hitting clip.
Set 2: 25-16 UF
Set 2 looked similar to the first. The Gators came out with a 10-7 lead, and the Rebels would narrow it to 12-11. However, a 8-2 run would help the Gators to pull away from the Rebels. To finish it off, Gators went on another impressive 5-3 run that determined the fate of the set. Notably, T’ara Ceasar had 4 kills and Thayer Hall had 3 to really put the edge on the Rebels.
Set 3: 25-19 UF
The beginning of the final set saw some back-and-forth action between the two teams, tying up the score 5-5. The Gators pulled ahead 15-11, but an attack by the Rebels closed the distance to 16-13. However, the Gators finished out strong to win the set and ultimately the match. Ceasar put up another impressive amount of kills with five, and Forte also put up five of her own.
Kills
Ceasar, 11
Hall, 8
Carlton, 6
Forte, 5
Digs
Cerame, 8
Ceasar, 7
Monserez, 6
Hall, 6
Aces
Hall, 4
Carlton, 2
Ceasar, 2
Cerame, 2
Dooley, 2
Hammons, 2
What’s Next?
Looking ahead, the Gators will return to Gainesville for their Spring opener in a series against the Missouri Tigers. They are set to play Feb. 6 and 7 in the Exactech Arena.