Florida held Texas A&M to a .106 clip and forced 36 errors in the match
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS – The seventh-ranked Florida volleyball team topped the Texas A&M Aggies in straight-sets on Wednesday night in Reed Arena.
The Gators improve to 18-3 in the 2020-21 campaign, while Texas A&M falls to 9-8 in the SEC-only format.
Florida took the first set 25-23 after battling back from a 19-15 deficit late in the frame, then followed with a 25-19 victory in the second. The Gators closed out the match with a 25-20 win in the third set to secure the win.
The real difference maker in the match was Florida holding the Aggies to a .106 clip on the night, while forcing 36 A&M errors. As a team, the Gators recorded seven blocks, led by four from Lauren Dooley. T’ara Ceasar added three of her own in the match, while Lauren Forte and Holly Carlton each tallied two apiece.
Offensively, the Gators were led by Thayer Hall, who registered 10 kills on the evening. Ceasar added eight, while Carlton and Forte notched six and five, respectively.
Marlie Monserez captained Florida’s offense, dishing out 29 assists in the match while leading the team to a .253 clip.
Elli McKissock and Hall led the backcourt defense, each recording seven digs on the night.
The Gators notched five service aces, led by two apiece from Monserez and Carlton.
Florida closes out the series with A&M in Reed Arena on Thursday night. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. on the SEC Network + and the match can also be heard on 98.1 FM/850 AM.
Records
No. 7 Florida (18-3, 18-3 SEC)
Texas A&M (9-8, 9-8 SEC)
How It Happened
* The Gators trailed the Aggies for a majority of the first frame, falling behind four points at the 19-15 mark. Florida fought its way out of the deficit, going on a 5-1 run behind the serves of Elli McKissock to tie the set 20-20. The Gators got two huge blocks late in frame from Forte and Ceasar to pull ahead 24-22 and secured the 25-23 comeback to go up 1-0 in the match.
* Florida hit .296 in the set, led by five kills from Hall and three from Carlton. Dooley and Ceasar added two kills of their own, while Forte tallied a team-high two blocks in the frame.
* The second set was all Florida from the start, with the Gators hopping out to eight-point lead at 13-5. UF continued to roll, doubling up the Aggies at the 22-11 mark. A&M pulled back to within five at 23-18 and 24-19, but the Gators clinched the frame on an Aggie error to go up 2-0 in the match.
* Florida held A&M to a .000 clip in the second set, while four Gators each recorded two kills: Ceasar, Forte, Hall and Monserez.
* The Gators once again jumped out to the early lead in the third set, grabbing the 10-6 advantage over the Aggies. Texas A&M pulled within one at 13-12, but the Gators were able to create some distance, going on a 4-1 run. The Aggies once again cut Florida’s deficit to just one at 21-20, but the Gators closed out the set and the match on a 4-0 run behind the serves of Hall.
* Ceasar led the way offensively in the frame with four kills, followed by three from Hall. Dooley recorded all four of her blocks in the final set and as a whole, the Gators held the Aggies to a .062 clip.
Notables
* The Gators improve to 18-1 in the all-time series against the Aggies, including a 16-1 record under Mary Wise
* Florida remains unblemished in three-set matches against Texas A&M, moving to 7-0 in the series
* UF is now 8-1 against the Aggies in College Station, Texas
* The Gators improve to 14-1 in three-set matches during the 2020-21 campaign
* Florida moves to 6-1 in the month of March
* UF remains unbeaten on Wednesdays this season, moving to 4-0
Thoughts from Coach Wise
* “We may not have been as sharp as we would have wanted tonight, but the beauty of this format is we get to lace up tomorrow and if we can be a better version of ourselves.”
Up Next
* The Gators return to the court on Thursday to close out the series with the Aggies
* First serve is slated for 7 p.m. on the SEC Network +
* The match can also be heard on 98.1 FM/850 AM
No. 7 Florida at Texas A&M – Broadcast Information – Thursday, March 25
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Live Stream: SEC Network +<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.espn.com_watch_player-3Fid-3D53ed6220-2D2b4b-2D4ab3-2D8d96-2D6df019f32aca&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=8fU6-0dZVkt5yRjHBTu0le5Z8ZAFJGqG36m7FOWd8sg&s=YEYjwYgsgzbNF5oYXHKEPqousgcVznmOUZrGWJ_LuW4&e= >
Live Stats: Sidearm<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__12thman.com_sidearmstats_wvball_summary&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=8fU6-0dZVkt5yRjHBTu0le5Z8ZAFJGqG36m7FOWd8sg&s=ktzdvDFhkIlrLKzbmS8-nL7ogUsNTaMIyeJKWmG8mcw&e= >
Radio: ESPN 98.1FM/850AM<https://www.wruf.com/listen-live/>
Series Information – No. 7 Florida at Texas A&M
Aggies | 9-8 overall; 9-8 SEC
* This is the 20th meeting between the Gators and the Aggies
* Florida leads 18-1 (16-1 under Mary Wise)
* 3-set: 7-0 | 4-set: 6-0 | 5-set: 5-1
* Home: 9-0 | Away: 8-1 | Neutral: 0-0
* Last Time Out: March 24, 2021 | College Station, Texas | W, 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-20)
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