UF VB | Florida Sweeps Coastal Carolina in Series Opener

The Gators held the Chanticleers to just a .143 clip on the afternoon

Box Score<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_documents_2021_9_18_UF-5FCC1.pdf&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=YK0L77lHxqbLDxzOxa1wl30xoW2rN70uSGosDwjuDtA&s=FDTFKrbnLNQ2T_lTSRwdgrCDtVem5Uzb8-WllrgFTYk&e= >

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The 14th-ranked Florida volleyball team got back on track with a three-set win over the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in the first match of the series on Saturday afternoon.

The Gators took the first set 25-22 and followed with a 25-19 victory in the second frame. Florida won the match with a decisive 25-15 win in the final set.

Florida’s offensive attack was led by a 14-kill effort from Sofia Victoria. T’ara Ceasar added a 13-kill performance with a .417 clip on the afternoon, while Lauren Dooley and Gabrielle Essix added five kills apiece.

Marlie Monserez dished out 38 assists in the victory, leading the Gators to a .340 clip in the three-setter.

As a squad, Florida recorded seven blocks, led by six from Dooley. Thayer Hall added three of her own to help hold the Chanticleers to just a .143 clip.

Florida’s backcourt defense was led by Elli McKissock, who posted 14 digs in the match. Monserez added eight of her own, while Ceasar and Hall pitched in seven apiece.

UF notched six service aces, led by two from Ceasar and Monserez.

The Gators close out nonconference play against the Chanticleers on Sunday, with first serve slated for 1 p.m. on the SEC Network +.

Records
No. 14 Florida (5-4)
Coastal Carolina (6-3)

How it Happened

* Florida jumped out to the early 5-1 lead to open the match, but Coastal Carolina fought back to tie the frame at 10-10. The Gators inched ahead to take a two-point advantage at 12-10 and were able to hold the slight 15-13 edge at the media timeout. Florida was once again able to push its lead to 20-17, but the Chanticleers forced a UF timeout when they cut the deficit to just one at 20-19. Out of the break, Coastal Carolina tied up the set at 20-20, before Florida went on a 5-2 run to claim the first set victory.
* The Gators hit .308 in the first frame, led by six kills from Ceasar. Dooley added four of her own, while Essix and Victoria pitched in three apiece.
* The second set started in a tight battle between the Gators and the Chanticleers, but with the frame tied 10-all, Florida burst out the four-point lead behind the serves of Hall. The Gators controlled the momentum the rest of the way, taking as large as a seven-point lead before winning 25-19.
* Florida hit .367 in the second set, while holding the Chanticleers to just a .133 clip. Victoria posted a team-high five kills in the frame, followed by four from Ceasar.
* The third set’s momentum belonged entirely to the Gators at the start, with Florida opening up a 7-3 lead. Coastal Carolina hung around, eventually tying the set at 11-11. From that point on, Florida went on a 14-4 run to clinch the set 25-15 and win the match.
* The Gators hit .357 in the final set and held Coastal Carolina to a .065 clip. Victoria led the way with six kills, while Ceasar added three to clinch the sweep.
Notables

* Gabrielle Essix earned her first career start for the Gators
* Essix had a career-high five kills in the match
* Trinity Adams recorded a career-high four digs and notched the first service ace of her career
* The Gators are now 1-0 against the Chanticleers
* Florida is now 4-1 in three-set matches during the 2021 campaign
* Monserez inched closer to breaking into the Top-8 in program history for career assists, currently sitting at 2,839, just four off the mark
Thoughts from Coach Wise

* “Really proud of this group and how they responded in practice the past couple of days, as well as their focus and energy going into this match. The back-to-back format allows us to prepare for what it is going to be like in SEC play for some weekends, so we need to take what happened today, learn from it and be prepared for the match tomorrow.”
Up Next

* The Gators close out the series against the Chanticleers on Sunday
* First serve is slated for 1 p.m. on the SEC Network +
No. 14 Florida vs. Coastal Carolina Broadcast Information – Sept. 19
Date & Time: Sept. 19 | 1 p.m.
Live Stream: SECN +<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.espn.com_watch_player-3Fid-3Dd0aeadc9-2D49ae-2D4cbf-2Daaa3-2D8b54b77abf77&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=YK0L77lHxqbLDxzOxa1wl30xoW2rN70uSGosDwjuDtA&s=YWn2xtgOsK4leLzXxSSFw6pxlrLErhjDKcjnARbm2-k&e= >
Live Stats: Statbroadcast<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__stats.statbroadcast.com_statmonitr_-3Fid-3D360593&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=YK0L77lHxqbLDxzOxa1wl30xoW2rN70uSGosDwjuDtA&s=z0NVDhJw-ZSG2xyGTNXXqt8-VbMGGOrlPnyKk_4wzaA&e= >
Radio: ESPN 98.1 FM/850 AM<https://www.wruf.com/listen-live/>

Series Information – No. 14 Florida vs. Coastal Carolina
Chanticleers | 2021 season synopsis: 6-3

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