UF VB | Gators Fall to Stanford in Top-20 Matchup

T’ara Ceasar led the way for Florida offensively with 13 kills; Marlie Monserez added team-high 21 digs

Box Score<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_documents_2021_8_31_96419.PDF&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=MTn-7HgNEBtJ-oQOADY7m5VJw5SUm7agFVOiQlSgoU0&s=jf-tuOOaU_1uepkePgMLW-e2BPr7G6PXA814xR18dAE&e= >

STANFORD, Calif. – In a battle of two AVCA Top-20 teams, No. 5 Florida fell to No. 20 Stanford in a four-set match on Tuesday night in Maples Pavilion.

The Cardinal took the tightly-contested first set by a score of 26-24 and then followed with a 25-18 victory in the second frame. Florida battled to take the third set, 25-17, but Stanford was able to close out the match with a 25-23 victory in the fourth.

Three Gators registered double-digit kills on the evening, led by 13 from T’ara Ceasar. Merritt Beason added a career-high 12, while Thayer Hall posted 11 in the four-setter.

Lauren Forte recorded nine kills, hitting .412 on the night, while Lauren Dooley pitched in five kills of her own.

Marlie Monserez anchored Florida’s offense, dishing out 41 assists in the match.

The Gators recorded 11.5 blocks as a team, led by a season-best seven from Dooley. Beason and Monserez added four blocks apiece at the net, while Forte posted two blocks.

Monserez led the way with 21 digs in the four-setter, just one dig off tying her career-high. Elli McKissock posted 16 digs of her own, while Hall added eight.

The Gators open the home portion of the 2021 schedule on Sunday when the 10th-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers travel to Exactech Arena. First serve is slated for 2 p.m. on ESPNU.

Records
No. 5 Florida (3-1)
No. 21 Stanford (3-0)

How It Happened

* Florida and Stanford traded points to kick off the contest, with neither team holding more than a one-point lead until the Gators pulled ahead 10-8. The Cardinal would remain within striking distance, but Florida strung together a 3-1 run to take the 15-12 lead into the media timeout. Out of the break, Florida found itself up as many as four, before the Cardinal pulled to within one a 19-18, forcing the Gators to use their first timeout. UF once again took the three-point advantage at 22-19, but Stanford tied the frame up at 22-22. From that point on, the squads traded points until the Cardinal went on a 3-0 run to win 26-24.
* Florida hit .229 in the first frame, led by four kills from Ceasar. Forte and Beason each pitched in three kills of their own.
* The second set belonged to Stanford from the jump, after the Cardinal jumped out to the 12-4 lead. The Gators continued to battle, pulling to within six at the 18-12 mark. With Stanford leading 24-15, Florida staved off three set points, before falling 25-18 in the second.
* Ceasar posted a team-high five kills in the second frame, while Monserez added nine digs.
* The Gators shot out to the early 6-1 lead behind a strong service run from McKissock, forcing Stanford to utilize its first timeout. The Cardinal knotted the set at 8-8, then the two teams went back-and-forth before a 5-0 service run by Monserez caused Stanford to use its final timeout of the set at 15-11. Florida once again strung together a run to pull ahead eight at 23-15. The Cardinal would get two back, but the Gators went on to win 25-17.
* Florida hit a stellar .522 in the third set, led by five kills from Hall.
* The momentum belonged to Florida to kick off the fourth set, with the Gators taking the 4-0 lead behind the serves of Monserez to force an early Stanford timeout. UF continued to hold the lead, taking a five-point advantage at the 12-7 mark. The Cardinal went on a 4-0 run to pull within one at 12-11, forcing Florida to use its first timeout of the set. Out of the break, Stanford grabbed the three-point lead at 17-14, but the Gators were able to cut the deficit to one at 17-16. The Cardinal sprung out to another run, taking the 20-17 advantage to force the final Florida timeout of the set. The Gators battled to within one at 24-23, but Stanford closed it out with a kill to secure the match.
* Beason led the way with six kills in the frame, while Ceasar and Forte each added three apiece.
Notables

* Marlie Monserez recorded her first double-double of the year with 41 assists and 21 digs
* Merritt Beason registered a career-best 12 kills in the match
* Florida drops to 5-8 against the Cardinal all-time
* With her 41 assists in the match, Marlie Monserez inched that much closer to breaking into UF’s Top-10. She currently sits at 2,635 career assists, just 36 shy of claiming the No. 10 spot
Up Next

* The Gators open their 2021 home season on Sunday against No. 10 Minnesota
* First serve is slated for 2 p.m. on ESPNU
* The match can also be heard on the airways of 98.1 FM/850 AM
No. 5 Florida vs. No. 10 Minnesota Broadcast Information
Date & Time: Sept. 5 | 2 p.m.
TV Network: ESPNU
Live Stream: ESPNU<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.espn.com_watch_player-3Fid-3D3809428&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=MTn-7HgNEBtJ-oQOADY7m5VJw5SUm7agFVOiQlSgoU0&s=oEKIoBVlKHitgpTc1F1hFMvVb3SCwAlZkSfu2ON0jFQ&e= >
Live Stats: Statbroadcast<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__stats.statbroadcast.com_statmonitr_-3Fid-3D360589&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=MTn-7HgNEBtJ-oQOADY7m5VJw5SUm7agFVOiQlSgoU0&s=HSXvgC5I_xLm4_XBtS4UwSd6ujO1RLCuUi482C937Ck&e= >
Radio: 98.1 FM/850 AM<https://www.wruf.com/listen-live/>

Series Information – No. 5 Florida vs. No. 10 Minnesota
Golden Gophers | 2021 season synopsis: 1-1

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