UF VB | Gators Fall to LSU in Tightly-Contested Four-Set Matchup

T’ara Ceasar, Thayer Hall and Marlie Monserez each record a double-double in the match

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BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 20 Florida volleyball team (11-6, 5-2 SEC) fell in a tightly-contested four-set battle to the LSU Tigers (7-9, 3-4 SEC) on Sunday afternoon in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

Florida clinched the first set 25-22, but LSU answered with a 25-17 victory in the second set. The Tigers went up 2-1 in the match with a 25-21 win in the third and closed out the day with a 25-21 victory in the fourth.

T’ara Ceasar led Florida’s offensive attack on the afternoon, recording 16 kills. Thayer Hall registered 13 kills of her own, while Merritt Beason added eight in the four-setter.

Marlie Monserez dished out 39 assists, to go along with four kills and one block on the afternoon.

As a team, Florida registered 6.0 blocks, led by four from Ceasar and three from Lauren Forte.

Monserez recorded a team-high 23 digs in the four-setter – a new career-high for the senior. Elli McKissock followed with 22 digs of her own, while Ceasar (16) and Hall (10) combined for 26 digs in the match.

McKissock notched a team-high three service aces on the afternoon, followed by one apiece from Trinity Adams and Merritt Beason.

The Gators head home for their next match, taking on the Texas A&M Aggies on Oct. 16. First serve is slated for 4 p.m. on SEC Network +.

Records
No. 20 Florida (11-6, 5-2 SEC)
LSU (7-9, 3-4 SEC)

How it Happened

* With the first set tied 4-all, the Gators went on a 3-0 run behind the serves of Beason to take control early on. LSU got to within two at 8-6, but Florida sprung out to the 13-7 lead to force a Tigers timeout. Out of the break, LSU went on a run of its own, cutting the deficit to two and driving Florida to use its first timeout of the set. Eventually the Tigers tied the set at 16-16 and the teams continued to trade scores until Florida took the three-point advantage at 22-19 behind the serves of Adams. The Tigers pulled to within one at 23-22, but the Gators closed out with back-to-back kills to take the 1-0 lead in the match.
* Florida hit .298 in the first frame, led by seven kills from Hall. Ceasar added four kills of her own in the set, followed by two apiece from Beason, Dooley and Forte.
* The second set belonged to LSU from the jump, with the Tigers pulling ahead 6-1 early. Florida cut the deficit to four at 9-5, but LSU continued to build its lead, going ahead seven at 19-12. Once again, the Gators battled back, pulling to within five at 21-16, but LSU closed out the set on a 4-1 run to even the match.
* Lauren Dooley led the way with three kills in the second set, followed by two apiece from Ceasar and Monserez.
* Florida got out to the 7-3 lead early in the third set thanks in part to the serves of Adams, but the Tigers responded with a 7-3 run to knot the frame at 10-10. The two squads traded points through the middle portion of the set, but LSU strung together a 6-1 run to take the 20-15 advantage. The Gators did not back down, battling back to within one at 22-21, but the Tigers closed out the frame on a 3-0 run.
* Ceasar posted a team-high six kills in the frame, followed by three from Beason and two from Hall.
* LSU took the early 4-1 in the fourth set, but the Gators fought back to tie the frame at 6-6. From that point on, it was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team holding more than a two-point advantage until the 23-20 mark. The Gators cut the deficit to two at 23-21, but LSU was able to close out the set and the match with back-to-back points.
* Ceasar recorded four kills in the fourth to lead the way, followed by three apiece from Beason and Hall.
Notables

* T’ara Ceasar recorded her ninth double-double of the season, finishing with 16 kills and 16 digs
* Marlie Monserez notched her seventh double-double of the 2021 campaign, recording 39 assists and 23 digs
* The 23 digs are a career-high for Monserez, surpassing her previous mark of 22 (Wisconsin, 4/19/21)
* Thayer Hall recorded her second double-double of the year, finishing with 13 kills and 10 digs
* Trinity Adams registered a new career-high in digs, posting six in the match
* The Gators are now 49-14 against LSU in the all-time series, including a 46-6 record under Mary Wise
* Florida drops to 16-7 in four-set matches against the Tigers
Up Next

* The Gators are back in action on Oct. 16, taking on the Texas A&M Aggies in Exactech Arena
* First serve is slated for 4 p.m. on SEC Network +
No. 20 Florida vs. Texas A&M Broadcast Information
Date & Time: Oct. 16 | 4 p.m.
Live Stream: SEC Network +
<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.espn.com_watch_player-3Fid-3De8a6db72-2D6013-2D4581-2Db389-2D78d780de1619&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=ho47y2YpwDhEMpxbTG-xwUAGQgNhWJtv-9eZrAgD7Pw&s=7JclY0px8GmJJjGoakdvw2UKbS4fEq1caNND97SjqWY&e= >Live Stats: Statbroadcast<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__stats.statbroadcast.com_statmonitr_-3Fid-3D360598&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=ho47y2YpwDhEMpxbTG-xwUAGQgNhWJtv-9eZrAgD7Pw&s=9tpyjZGya1jmgOSnHemOcJ_VmNVkvX9ajofdcmJsvcQ&e= >

Series Information – No. 20 Florida vs. Texas A&M
Aggies | 2021 season synopsis: 11-5, 4-2 SEC

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