T’ara Ceasar posted a season-high 25 kills in the pivotal SEC matchup
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In the clash of two Top-25 teams, the No. 23 Florida volleyball team was victorious, defeating the 22nd-ranked Lady Volunteers in four-sets on Thursday night in Exactech Arena.
The Gators improve to 15-6 on the year and 9-2 in the league, while Tennessee falls to 16-6 overall and 8-4 in conference play.
Tennessee took the first sit 25-22 in a tightly-contested frame, but Florida responded with a 25-17 victory in the second set. The Gators took the third set in a come-from-behind 25-23 win and closed out the match with a 25-16 victory in the fourth frame.
Florida was led on the offensive front by T’ara Ceasar, who posted a season-high 25 kills on the night with a .352 clip. Her 31.5 points were a record-number in a four-set match for the rally scoring era.
Lauren Forte added 11 kills of her own, while Thayer Hall followed with a 10-kill performance and Merritt Beason registered nine kills in the four-setter.
Marlie Monserez dished out 48 assists while leading the team to a .298 clip in the match. With her 48 assists, she moved into the No. 6 spot in program history for career assists, surpassing Lauren Moscovic (3,306).
The Gators held Tennessee to a .177 clip on the night – the Lady Vols lowest efficiency of the season. UF recorded a total of 9.5 blocks, led by five from Forte. Beason and Lauren Dooley each pitched in four on the night, while Ceasar added three.
Elli McKissock registered a team-high 26 digs to lead Florida’s backcourt defense. Monserez posted 17 of her own for her eighth double-double of the year, while Hall recorded 12 for her fourth double-double in the 2021 campaign. Beason notched a career-high 11 digs of her own to round of the Gators in double-digit digs.
Ceasar led the way behind the service line, tying her career-high with five aces.
The Gators are back in action on Nov. 12-13 for a two-match series against the Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville, Ark. Friday’s first serve is slated for 8 p.m. ET, while Saturday’s match is set to begin at 6 p.m. ET.
Records
No. 23 Florida (15-6, 9-2 SEC)
No. 22 Tennessee (16-6, 8-4 SEC)
How it Happened
* The first portion of the set was tight, with the largest lead being a two-point advantage on either side until the Lady Vols grabbed the 15-12 lead going into the media timeout. Out of the break, Tennessee pulled ahead as many as seven at 21-14, but the Gators did not back down, eventually cutting their deficit to just one at 23-22. Tennessee closed out the frame on a 2-0 run to take the first set 25-22.
* Florida hit .452 in the first frame, led by four kills apiece from Ceasar and Forte. Beason followed with three of her own, while Hall and Monserez each posted two in the set.
* With the second set tied 8-8, the Gators exploded for a 3-0 run behind the serves of Ceasar to force a Tennessee timeout at the 11-8 mark. The Lady Vols pulled to within one at 12-11, but Florida was able to create some distance, going up six points behind a Hall service run. Tennessee would make one last push, pulling to within four at 20-16, but the Gators closed the frame on a 5-1 run to tie up the match.
* UF hit .256 in the second set, while holding Tennessee to a .103 clip. Ceasar posted a team-high seven kills in the frame, followed by four from Forte.
* Tennessee held the early lead in the third set, going ahead three at the 16-13 mark before the Gators responded on a 7-1 run behind the serves of Hall and McKissock to take the 21-17 advantage. The Lady Vols answered with a 5-0 run, forcing Florida to use its second timeout with Tennessee ahead one at 22-21. The turning point for the Gators was the challenge of Ceasar’s attack being out of bounds – when that call was overturned, Florida tied the frame at 23-23. UF closed out the set with a 2-0 run to go up 2-1 in the match.
* The Gators were led by 10 kills from Ceasar, while Beason and Hall each added three apiece. McKissock posted 11 digs in the third set alone to lead the defense.
* The fourth set belonged to the Gators from the jump, with Florida pulling ahead seven points at 13-6. The Lady Vols battled back to within four at 16-12, but UF closed out the frame with a 9-4 run to secure the match and move to 9-2 in league play.
* The Gators hit a stellar .481 in the final set, while holding Tennessee to a .083 hitting percentage. Ceasar once again led the way offensively with four kills, followed by three apiece from Hall and Forte.
Notables
* T’ara Ceasar recorded a career-high 31.5 points, which is a program record in four sets in the rally-scoring era
* Ceasar tied her career-high with five aces
* Beason recorded a career-high 11 digs in the match
* Marlie Monserez posted her eighth double-double of the season, finishing with 48 assists and 17 digs
* Thayer Hall recorded her fourth double-double of the season, registering 10 kills and 12 digs
* With her 48 assists in the match, Marlie Monserez claimed the No. 6 spot in program history for career assists, surpassing Lauren Moscovic (3,306)
* The last time four Florida players recorded 10+ digs in a match was Oct. 10 against LSU
* The Gators improve to 54-13 against the Lady Vols, including a 50-8 record under Mary Wise
* Florida is now 11-4 in four-set matches against Tennessee
* The Gators improve to 28-7 against Tennessee in Gainesville, Fla.
* UF is now 3-4 in four-set matches during the 2021 campaign
Thoughts from Coach Wise
* “The match has an NCAA feel to it with so many of the great rallies and performances tonight. The way Tennessee played in that first set, the 31.5 points scored by T’ara and the 26 digs by Elli – there were a lot of really good things happening.”
Up Next
* The Gators are back in action on Nov. 12 and 13 when the team heads to Fayetteville, Ark. to take on the Razorbacks in a two-match series
* Friday’s first serve is slated for 8 p.m. ET, while Saturday’s match will begin at 6 p.m. ET
* Florida holds the 46-3 series advantage over Arkansas
No. 23 Florida at Arkansas Broadcast Information
Date & Time: Nov. 12 | 8 p.m. ET
Live Stats: Statbroadcast<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__stats.statbroadcast.com_statmonitr_-3Fid-3D359820&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=JpVklqTt4RH-FSz4s0Bcxy7q_Erl0SX1TSKPVygca_EFqFj4BSwvJ3jQguRV5yq9&s=EFT97xZxVkQrKCdwKN-yWjLlfxW8sWPO_l2S3NLXUDc&e= >
No. 23 Florida at Arkansas Broadcast Information
Date & Time: Nov. 13 | 6 p.m. ET
Live Stats: Statbroadcast<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__stats.statbroadcast.com_statmonitr_-3Fid-3D359821&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=JpVklqTt4RH-FSz4s0Bcxy7q_Erl0SX1TSKPVygca_EFqFj4BSwvJ3jQguRV5yq9&s=BPhBM5RI82brCUqhFv-j92EPKLHs25lizVQ2v4gKwU8&e= >
Series Information – No. 23 Florida at Arkansas
Razorbacks | 2021 season synopsis: 15-6, 6-4 SEC
* This is the 50th meeting between the Gators and the Razorbacks
* Florida leads the series 46-3 (46-3 under Mary Wise)
* 3-set: 27-1 | 4-set: 14-0 | 5-set: 5-2
* Home: 22-0 | Away: 18-2 | Neutral: 6-1
* Last Time Out: March 6, 2021 | Gainesville, Fla. | W, 3-0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-18)
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