Florida closes out the regular season against Kentucky on Saturday afternoon
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The 20th-ranked Florida volleyball team fell to the No. 8 Kentucky Wildcats in three sets on Saturday afternoon in Memorial Coliseum.
The Gators drop to 20-7 on the year and 15-3 in league play, while Kentucky moves to 23-4 overall and 16-1 in the conference – clinching at least a share of the SEC title.
Kentucky took the tightly-contested 25-22 victory in the first set and followed with another 25-22 win in the second frame. The Wildcats closed out the match with a 25-20 victory in the third set.
Florida was led on the offensive front by a 14-kill performance from T’ara Ceasar. Merritt Beason pitched in eight kills of her own, while Lauren Forte and Thayer Hall followed with five kills apiece.
Marlie Monserez dished out 30 assists in the match, to go along with four digs, two kills and a block.
As a team, Florida tallied 10 blocks at the net, led by eight from Forte. Ceasar posted three blocks of her own, while Bre Kelley and Beason each registered two apiece.
Elli McKissock led the backcourt defense for the Gators, posting 16 digs in the match. Hall and Beason added seven digs apiece, while Ceasar registered five digs of her own.
The Gators are right back in action on Saturday at 1 p.m. to close out the regular season against the Wildcats.
Records
No. 20 Florida (20-7, 14-3 SEC)
No. 8 Kentucky (23-4, 16-1 SEC)
How it Happened
* The teams traded points early in the first set, but Kentucky strung together a 4-0 run to force a Florida timeout at the 9-4 mark. The Wildcats kept the advantage out of the break, but Florida did not bow out, cutting the deficit to just one at the 14-13 mark. UF remained within striking distance, but Kentucky pulled ahead four points at 21-17 to force Florida’s second timeout. Out of the break, the Wildcats went on a 3-0 run, but the Gators battled back, staving off six set points before eventually falling 25-22 in the first frame.
* Ceasar led the way with six kills in the first set, hitting .455 along the way. Beason, Forte and Hall each added two apiece in the frame.
* The second set was a tight contest from the start, with five ties prior to the media timeout. The Wildcats took the slight 15-14 advantage into the break before Florida tied the set up 15-15. With the frame tied, Kentucky pieced together a 4-0 run to grab the 19-15 lead. The Wildcats had set point at 24-19, but once again the Gators responded with a 3-0 run to pull within two at 24-22. Kentucky won the final point of the frame, taking the 2-0 lead in the match.
* The Gator block came alive in the second set, with Florida collecting seven as a squad. Hall recorded a team-high three kills in the set, followed by two apiece from Beason and Ceasar.
* Once again, the third set started with the teams trading points with 11 ties and four lead changes before the Wildcats took the 17-12 lead after a 5-0 run. Kentucky continued to hold at least a four-point advantage through the end of the frame, taking the final set 25-20.
* Ceasar posted a team-high six kills in the third set, followed by four from Beason and three from Forte.
Notables
* Florida tallied 10.0 blocks in the match, tying the season-high for blocks in a three-set match
* The Gators drop to 52-18 in the all-time series against the Wildcats, including a 50-11 record under Mary Wise
* Florida is now 36-9 against Kentucky in three-set matches
Up Next
* The Gators are right back in action tomorrow to close out the regular season against the Wildcats at 1 p.m.
* The match will air on the SEC Network + and can be heard on FloridaGators.com/watch
No. 20 Florida at No. 8 Kentucky Broadcast Information – Nov. 27
Date & Time: Nov. 27 | 1 p.m.
Live Stream: SEC Network +<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.espn.com_watch_schedule_-5F_type_upcoming_categoryId_be9385dc-2Dc518-2D3a55-2D9197-2Dec47a9e0e7f6_startDate_20211127&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=lGca-F2tyvv8hwe_y7nuJ7Zpbs8r9C7X25Cy8QXmFcZ2yAPqqTZlB_aF4PG9B-F0&s=nnhZYw00nz-_1cgqhgaCzQXf_rAumGyt_2y7xamvvpI&e= >
Live Stats: Sidearm<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__ukathletics.com_sidearmstats_wvball_summary&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=lGca-F2tyvv8hwe_y7nuJ7Zpbs8r9C7X25Cy8QXmFcZ2yAPqqTZlB_aF4PG9B-F0&s=t1IjNOASTeP7tHBeUWyQJ0QbOoHyMf3tWIce30PwUQc&e= >
Radio: FloridaGators.com/watch<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_watch_-3FLive-3D3678-26type-3DArchive&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=lGca-F2tyvv8hwe_y7nuJ7Zpbs8r9C7X25Cy8QXmFcZ2yAPqqTZlB_aF4PG9B-F0&s=FLcSxX2eLWGooo9y3fYb-iuvri5gZsWze1uJRvPFR6I&e= >
Series Information – No. 20 Florida at No. 8 Kentucky
Wildcats | 2021 season synopsis: 23-4, 16-1 SEC
* This is the 70th meeting between the Gators and the Wildcats
* Florida leads the series 52-18 (50-11 under Mary Wise)
* 3-set: 36-9 | 4-set: 9-2 | 5-set: 7-7
* Home: 25-9 | Away: 23-7 | Neutral: 4-1
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