2015 Gator Volleyball: A Year In Review

The 2015 Florida Gator volleyball team saw another brilliant season come to a conclusion on December 12th with a five-set loss to the #3 seeded Texas Longhorns in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. Despite losing in this stage of the tournament for the second straight year, Florida managed to go 25-7 (13-5 in SEC play) on route to a fourth place finish in the SEC. Some other notable accomplishments of this year's squad include:

• Victories over seven teams ranked in the final AVCA Coaches Top 25 polls
• 13-1 record at home (only loss to Kentucky)
• Nine-game winning streak from October 9th to November 8th
• Two victories over Florida State between the regular season and the postseason
• A five-set upset of #6 Wisconsin in the Sweet 16 as a #11 seed
• Finishing at #16 in the AVCA Coaches poll at the end of the season

Now that we have looked at the team's accomplishments, let's take a look at the accolades of some of the individual players. First the award winners:

Individual Awards & Honors

• 2015 AVCA Division I First-Team All-Americans
• Middle Blocker- Rhammat Alhassan (Sophomore)

• 2015 AVCA Division I Third-Team All-Americans
• Right Side Hitter- Alex Holston (Junior)


• 2015 AVCA Division I Honorable Mention All-Americans
• Setter- Mackenzie Dagostino (Senior)
• Outside Hitter- Ziva Recek (Senior)
• Outside Hitter- Carli Snyder (Sophomore)

• 2015 All-SEC Team
• Middle Blocker- Rhammat Alhassan
• Middle Blocker- Simone Antwi (Senior)
• Setter- Mackenzie Dagostino
• Right Side Hitter- Alex Holston
• Outside Hitter- Ziva Recek

Now let's look at the stat leaders:

Kills: Alex Holston (381)

Attack Errors: Alex Holston (106)

Total Points: Rhammat Alhassan (485.5)

Digs: Nikki O'Rourke (499)

Return Errors: Ziva Recek (38)

Assists: Mackenzie Dagostino (1,286)

Total Blocks: Rhammat Alhassan (189.0)

Block Errors: Rhammat Alhassan (19)

Service Aces: Mackenzie Dagostino (32)

Service Errors: Mackenzie Dagostino (64)

Sets Played: Rhammat Alhassan/Alex Holston/Simone Antwi/Nikki O'Rourke (117)

Final Season Takeaway:
The Florida Gator volleyball team continues to take positive strides forward with back-to-back Elite Eight appearances. Losing five seniors to graduation after this season, the team will rely on its two rising seniors (Alex Holston and Shainah Joseph) and five rising juniors to lead the squad to the promise land in 2016. The road will be tough as always, but with legendary coach Mary Wise calling the shots, the wait for the first national championship in program history will be ending very soon.

*All stats & accolades accredited to floridagators.com, avca.org, NCAA.com, & SECsports.com

2014 NCAA Volleyball Sweet 16: #9 Illinois vs #8 UF

I was conflicted about writing this because I have exams I should be studying for but I figured the heck with it. The #8 Florida Gators volleyball squad is going to the Elite Eight for the seventh time in school history! They needed five sets, but the Gators were able to pull off a 16-14 victory in the final set to defeat the #9 Illinois Fighting Illini tonight in the Iowa Regional Semifinal.

Sophomore Alex Holston had a double double with a team-high 18 kills and 10 digs. In addition to her 10 digs, she assisted on six blocks. Up next with 15 kills was true freshman Rhamat Alhassan. She put on a defensive clinic tonight with nine assisted blocks. Rounding out the double digit scorers after Alhassan was sophomore Gabby Mallette. She had 10 kills and assisted on three blocks.

On the defensive end, the Gators had four players with double digit digs. Excluding Holston, all of these players were seniors. Together, Holly Pole (19), Maddie Monserez (16), and Mackenzie Monserez (10), all combined for 45 digs. Dagostino also had 51 assists and assisted on four blocks. One final Gator I'll mention is Shainah Joseph, who assisted on six blocks and had seven kills.

Now one step closer to their first ever National Championship, the Florida Gators (28-3) will face their greatest challenge yet in the #1 overall seeded Stanford Cardinal (32-1). What a coincidence, the Florida soccer team met Stanford with a Final Four spot on the line and now the volleyball team will do the same. I am hoping that this time the result will be different.

The game is set for 9 p.m. on ESPNU. My superstition and exam studying will most likely prevent me from watching it, but I can promise you I will be checking the scores every now and then. The Gators know what they have to do to beat a team of such an elite caliber, now it's time to see if they can put that knowledge into action.

*All stats accredited to NCAA.com

2014 NCAA Volleyball Round of 32: Miami vs #8 UF

The Florida Gator volleyball team has already advanced further than last year's squad after their four set victory over the rival Miami Hurricanes tonight!

The first two high scoring Gators were both outside hitters. Sophomore Alex Holston led the way again this game as she had 19 kills for a total of 19.5 points with six digs on the defensive side. Junior Gabby Mallette totaled 12 kills for 13.0 points. She contributed defensively with just one solo block.

Rounding out the double digit scorers was true freshman Rhamat Alhassan with 10 kills. Despite her offensive production, the real story in tonight's game was her defense. She had three solo blocks while assisting on one block. She accounted for the Gators' second highest amount of points with 13.5.

Alhassan was not the only true freshman who played a significant role in the Gators' victory tonight. Outside hitter Carli Snyder also had a solid game both offensively and defensively. She totaled 10.0 points tonight with nine kills, six digs, and one solo block.

Defensively, six Gators had more than six digs. Apart from Mallette and Snyder (who I have already mentioned), all of these players were seniors. Together, Mackenzie Dagostino (nine), Taylor Unroe (nine), Holly Pole (seven), and Maddie Monserez (seven) combined for 32 digs. Dagostino also led the assists category with 51 of them tonight!

Now 2-0 in the tournament, the #8 Florida Gators (27-3) will prepare for Sweet 16 action against the # 9 Illinois Fighting Illini (26-7). This game will be on December 12th and can be seen on ESPN3. Game time is 8 p.m.

*All stats accredited to Gatorzone.com

2014 NCAA Volleyball Tournament First Round: Alabama State vs #8 UF

The #8 Florida Gator volleyball team began their National Championship hunt with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-12, 25-12) sweep over the Alabama State Hornets in the first round of the NCAA Tournament today.

The only Gator player to score double digit kills was sophomore hitter Alex Holston with 14. She accounted for 16.5 total points as she had a service ace, a dig, and assisted on three blocks.

The next pair of Gators who contributed on offense were freshmen Rhamat Alhassan and Carli Snyder. At middle blocker, Alhassan accumulated 9.5 total points as she had eight kills and assisted on three blocks. Snyder scored 8.0 total points with her eight kills from the outside hitter position.

Defensively, senior defensive specialist Maddie Monserez led the way with 11 digs. Behind her were fellow seniors Holly Pole and Mackenzie Dagostino with nine and seven digs, respectively. Dagostino, also the team's starting setter, had 35 assists today. The final senior to contribute on defense was Taylor Unroe with six digs.

After taking care of their first round opponent, the Florida Gators (26-3) will now set their sights on the rival Miami Hurricanes (22-8).  Surprisingly, this is the first ever meeting between these two in-state rivals in the sport of women's volleyball. With that being said, it is sure to be classic. Game time is 7 p.m. on December 6 in the O-Dome. Winner goes to the Sweet 16.

*All stats accredited to Gatorzone.com

UF Volleyball: Marquette Upsets #7 UF

It was supposed to be over in three sets. Marquette was not supposed to even have the slightest bit of a chance against the mighty #7 Gators in Gainesville! I guess that's why they play the game because the Marquette Golden Eagles stunned the Florida Gator volleyball team in five sets (26-24, 25-21, 15-13).

I'll be honest, I left the game super early to catch 22 Jump Street at Gator Nights with some friends in the Reitz Union. After finding out about this upset, I honestly couldn't believe it. Even as I write this I am still shocked that the Gators lost to an unranked Big East opponent in the O-Dome.

From the first set, I could tell this was not the Gators' night as they made careless mistakes and just seemed out of sync defensively. Mackenzie Dagostino (17) and Holly Pole (14) were the only two Gators to reach double digits in digs. In addition to her 43 assists and six service aces, Dagostino also assisted on five blocks. Sophomore Shainah Joseph also assisted on five blocks in her first career start in the O-Dome. Freshman middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan led the way defensively for the Gators tonight with eight blocks assisted as well as two solo blocks!

On offense, Alex Holston led the team with 13 kills while Rhamat Alhassan and Carli Snyder tied with 11 kills each. Shainah Joseph was the next closest with eight kills. Holston had the most attack attempts with 41.

I really don't have much left to say about this game. After coming off of two Top 25 victories against #19 San Diego and #10 USC in California last week, I was expecting the #7 Gators to kick off their Campus USA Credit Union Invite with a dominant win. The Gators beat Marquette on their own turf last year and I still can't believe they let the Golden Eagles return the favor. All that's left now for Florida (5-3) is to regroup and prepare for the UCF Knights (7-3) on Sunday at 3 p.m. in the O-Dome.

As for Marquette (7-3), they will actually get the first crack at UCF as the two teams meet at 3 p.m. in the O-Dome on Saturday. Marquette will definitely be riding the momentum from its huge upset win over Florida as they look to surge past the Knights and win the tournament.

*All stats accredited to Gatorzone.com

UF Volleyball: #3 Texas vs #11 UF

After a very entertaining football game, my spirits dropped during the volleyball game as #3 Texas came into the O-Dome and beat the #11 Gators 25-16, 25-17, and 25-16 in four sets. I was very excited for this game and I knew that Texas was very good, so I am not too surprised that the Gators could not pull this one out. This might be a tough loss to overcome mentally as Texas dominated every set they won, but it can be used as a building block for the Gators.

The only bright spot for the Gators in this match was that they won the second set 28-26. It was a highly contested set that gave me hope that the Gators could compete with Texas. At the end of the day however, the Longhorns' talent and experience proved too much for the Gators to overcome. I have a ton of respect for Texas as they are one of the premier powers in college volleyball after winning a National Championship in 2012 and appearing in the Final Four last year.

Even in a losing effort, I can always find Gator performances worth mentioning. Freshman Carli Snyder led the team in kills with 18 tonight. She accounted for 18.5 of the team's 64 points. Right behind her was redshirt junior Noami-Santos Lamb with 14 kills, sophomore Alex Holston with nine kills, and fellow freshman Rhamat Alhassan with seven kills. These are impressive numbers considering Texas had 16 total team blocks in the game! It felt like they were blocking almost every Gator attack.

Defensively, senior libero Holly Pole led the team with 11 digs. Junior setter Mackenzie Dagostino also played excellent and gave superb effort out on the court. She was diving all over the place trying to create second chance opportunities for her teammates! She had 9 digs along with 46 assists. In blocks the Gators lagged behind Texas with just 5 total blocks. Junior middle blocker Simone Antwi led the team with two assisted blocks tonight while freshman middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan led the team with two solo blocks.

The Gators are now on a two game losing streak and are 3-2 on the season. They will try to right the ship in the USC Classic on September 11-12 as they take on the #15 San Diego Toreros (5-1) and the #6 USC Trojans (6-0). Both these opponents are good, so we will find out how this battle-tested Gator squad responds to adversity early in the season. The Gators will take on San Diego first on September 11 at 8 p.m.

As for Texas, they might move up to #2 in the rankings following #2 Stanford's defeat of #1 Penn State today. They are now 4-0 and will head home to host the 26 West Longhorn Classic featuring Arizona, UCF, and Florida A&M. The first game is scheduled for September 12 at 7 p.m. against Arizona.

*All stats accredited to Gatorzone.com

UF Volleyball: #10 Florida vs Oklahoma

Before the football game tonight (which ended up getting cancelled due to nonstop rain and lightning), I attended the Gator volleyball game against Oklahoma. The Gators were able to grind out a victory in the final game of the Active Ankle Challenge as they beat the Sooners in five sets 28-26, 25-12, and 15-8.

Oklahoma gave the #10 ranked Gators all of they could handle this game as they won both the first and the fourth sets 25-22. I was genuinely surprised as I thought Florida would wipe the floor with Oklahoma after I watched the Sooners play a lackluster game against Georgia Southern on Friday. Nevertheless, the Gators remained resilient and were able to hold off the upset-minded Sooners.

Offensively, four Gators reached double digits in kills today. Those four were Alex Holston (19), Simone Antwi (13), Noami Santos-Lamb (12), and Carli Snyder (11). Holston accounted for 21 of the team's 80 points as she dug out three balls and assisted on four blocks. In the assists category, it was all Mackenzie Dagostino as she tallied 51 assists today.

Speaking of blocks, the Gators had 13 of them today. In solo blocks, Carli Snyder led the way as the freshman outside hitter had three of them. Freshman middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan had five assisted blocks and one solo block. Junior setter Mackenzie Dagostino followed the lead of Alex Holston as she also assisted with four blocks and had a solo block of her own. Rounding out the block party is the other middle blocker Simone Antwi who had three of them.

On the digging side of defense, three Gators had double digit digs. Senior Holly Pole led the team with 18, Taylor Unroe was second with 17, and Madison Monserez rounds it out with 11. Both Pole and Unroe also combined for three service aces.

Now 3-0, the #10 Florida Gators will prepare to do battle with the #13 FSU Seminoles as they head to Tallahassee on Thursday, September 4, at 6 p.m. The memory of that NCAA Tournament loss should still be fresh in the minds of the Gators, so I know they will be ready to bring it in this rivalry game. As for Oklahoma, they fall to 2-1 and will head to Dallas to take on the Texas Southern Tigers (0-0) in the SMU Tournament which begins on Friday, September 5. Game time is set for 4 p.m.

*All stats accredited to Gatorzone.com

UF Roars to 2-0 Start In 2014 Active Ankle Challenge

Florida Gator volleyball is finally back! I was very fortunate today to be able to catch both of the team's games at 12 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. against Georgia Southern and Idaho. The #10 Gators swept both matches 3-0 and in the process reminded me of how dominant they are.

In the first game against the Georgia Southern Eagles, I showed up at the end of the first set due to bike problems that I had to get fixed at the local bike shop on campus. The Gators would win the first set 25-19, and this would be the closest set of them all as they took the next two 25-11 and 25-15, respectively.

I was able to witness the debut of Florida's new freshman middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan. She is easily the tallest player on the team at 6'4 and will serve as an intimidating presence in the front court this season. In her debut, she notched six kills, recorded a block, and assisted on three other blocks. She accounted for 8.5 of the team's total points.

The only player who recorded more kills than Alhassan was redshirt junior Noami Santos-Lamb. After seeing very limited action last year, Santos-Lamb scored eight kills against Georgia Southern, assisted on one block, and recorded two digs. She contributed the second highest amount of team points with 7.5.

Defensively, libero Taylor Unroe began her senior season on the right foot as she registered seven digs and two service aces. She wasn't the only one selling out on defense as fellow seniors Holly Pole and Madison Monserez each recorded five digs. Junior setter Mackenzie Dagostino had the most digs against Georgia Southern with eight. She also tallied 23 assists.

After quickly dispatching Georgia Southern, the team had about a six hour break until their next match at 7:30 p.m against the Idaho Vandals. I went to my afternoon classes after the first match, then arrived at the O-Dome pretty early to watch the Oklahoma/Georgia Southern match. Oklahoma won in four sets, and I think they will pose no threat to the Gators on Saturday.

As for how the Gators did against Idaho, it was another convincing victory as they swept all three sets 26-24, 25-17, and 25-13. Yes, the first set was close, but I attribute this to the nerves the girls might have been feeling with a huge crowd packing the O-Dome for their first night game of the year. The Gators tend to start slow and finish with a bang, and this match was no different.

Rhamat Alhassan brought her 'A' game in just her second collegiate match as she recorded a career high 13 kills while also assisting on three blocks. Fellow middle blocker Simone Antwi was right there with her as she also racked up 13 kills and blocked one ball on the night. The strong play of both UF's middle blockers was critical tonight as they represented 19.5 of the team's 61 points.

Some other offensive stars who stuck out to me were junior Ziva Recek, sophomore Alex Holston, and freshman Carli Snyder. Recek had seven kills and one service ace on the night. Her clutch serving at the end of the first set helped the Gators narrowly take it from Idaho and obtain an important 1-0 lead.

Holston had seven kills as well and was critical in the service game as she notched 4 service aces. She accounted for 11 Gator points, the third highest on the team behind Antwi and Alhassan.

I mention freshman outside hitter Carli Snyder as an offensive standout because she genuinely captivated me tonight. In the Georgia Southern game, I saw just a mere glimpse of her as she played two sets and recorded six kills. Against Idaho, however, each one of her three kills had me jumping out of my seat!

Whether or not my seating location had something to do with this (I sat across the Gator bench in the first game and then sat behind the visitors bench during the second game), all of Snyder's kills seemed to be coming at lightning speed. She has a very powerful attack and I see her as a great offensive asset for the Gators going forward. She also had an amazing block tonight in the third set that had the entire O-Dome rocking.

Speaking of defense, Taylor Unroe was on point in this game as well as she recorded 11 digs with one service ace. Right behind her in this category were Mackenzie Dagostino (9 digs) and Holly Pole (8 digs). Dagostino also had 38 assists on the night, giving her 61 assists between the two games.

I will also mention that junior outside hitter Gabby Mallette did not play in either of the two matches today. I do not know the reason for this. Hopefully she will be back out on the court real soon.

At 2-0, the #10 Gators will be back at it on Saturday as they take on the Oklahoma Sooners (2-0) at 2:30 p.m. Idaho (0-2) and Georgia Southern (0-2) will meet each other in the early game at 12 p.m. Even though the Gators' first football game kicks off at 7:00 p.m., I will definitely be at the O-Dome to support the Gators as they seek to start their season 3-0!

*All stats accredited to Gatorzone.com

UF Volleyball: 2014 Season Preview

In less than a month, another volleyball season will be upon us here at the University of Florida. Ever since the Gators' National Championship run ended much earlier than I expected in last year's postseason, I have been itching for the 2014 season to arrive. I bet the girls have as well. There is nothing worse than ending your season with a loss to your arch rival.

Every now and then, that Round of 32 match against Florida State pops in my head and I think about what could have been. After that game, I began to question if my fandom/reporter passion for Florida volleyball the entire year had blindly caused me to overrate the team. Looking back on that December day seven months later, I can proudly say my loyalty to the team has not faltered one bit.  As the volleyball program enters its 19th season, I figured it was about time that I offered my outlook for how this season will shape up.

The Florida Gators' 2014 volleyball schedule caught my eye the first day it was released as it offers some compelling non-conference games against Texas, Oklahoma, and UCF in the O-Dome. With the customary game against FSU in Tallahassee and a trip out west to play powerhouses USC and and San Diego, the Gators will have their work cut out for them this season.

I applaud head coach Mary Wise for her scheduling this year as she has the Gators finishing the regular season on the road against Texas. It was clear that the Gators ran out of gas last year and it showed in their postseason performance. With Coach Wise keeping the girls on their heels with tough games around every corner, they should be in better shape heading into the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

In regards to SEC play, I believe the Gators will take back the conference title this year. Missouri will not beat the Gators twice again. I'll even go out and say that the Gators will go undefeated in conference play this year! I am going to stick by this prediction.

On top of that, I will also say that I think the Gators will go nearly perfect at home again like they did last year. The Gators only lost two games in the O-Dome in 2013 and I think this year they will trim that number down to zero.

When the NCAA Tournament does roll around, I am predicting that the Gators will make it to the Final Four this year. The match will go five sets and they will lose a heartbreaker to USC in the semifinals.

The games aside, let's look at the players who the volleyball squad will need to count on if they want to have any chance of making a National Championship run.

The 2014 team sports three seniors: Holly Pole, Maddie Monserez, and Taylor Unroe. All of them are defensive specialists and defense is what wins championships. Combined, this year's seniors totaled 68 service aces and 752 digs as juniors last season. I would even go as far to say that Taylor Unroe is one of the top five liberos in the country with one of the best serves in the country as well.

Behind them is a touted group of six juniors highlighted by my favorite player in Slovenian outside hitter Ziva Recek. She is the returning leader in kills with 335. Look for her to surpass that mark this year. With other great offensive weapons in Gabby Mallette and Simone Antwi accompanying Recek, the Gators will boast a very strong and talented front court.

Rounding off the junior class is outside hitter Noami Santos-Lamb, setter Mackenzie Dagostino, and defensive specialist Nikki O'Rourke. Santos-Lamb has a wicked fast serve that is similar to Taylor Unroe's and will be vital for the Gators from an attacking standpoint. Dagostino is the team's only veteran setter and will be called upon to most likely start every game barring poor play. O'Rourke may be the shortest girl on the team at 5'6, but she has a ton of heart on the defensive side and it showed in their final match against FSU. I am excited to see what she does on defense this year.

After the juniors lies three sophomores headlined by outsider hitter Alex Holston. She played in every single match last year and was a force to be reckoned with as just a freshman. With an entire offseason to get better, all 6'1 of her should be poised for an even better sophomore year.

The two remaining sophomores in Shainah Joseph and Denise Belcher saw limited action last year. Unfortunately, it might be the same story this season since most of the team is returning. However, I can assume they have been training diligently in the offseason and will be more than ready when Coach Wise calls their numbers this year. Every player is important to this team, regardless if they play or not.

Finally, we have the newcomers to Gator volleyball: The Freshmen. In total, there are five freshman with Middle Blocker Rhamat Alhassan towering above the rest at 6'4. This is great! If there is anything the Gators needed it was height. Alhassan's height will play a huge role in the team's success as her career progresses at Florida.

Another freshman who draws my attention is 6'1 setter Abby Detering. She is three inches tall than returning setter Mackenzie Dagostino and I think this height advantage can help her compete for some playing time as a freshman. She will also be a good backup to have at the position so Dagostino can rest when she needs to.

Apart from Alhassan's and Detering's heights, there is really not much more I can say about this incoming freshmen class. Clearly, each and every one of them is talented and competitive as they selected the challenge of playing SEC volleyball. I am looking forward to watching them all as they become fixtures in Gator volleyball lore.

After looking at the team that will be on the court this year and the caliber of their opponents, I can confidently say that this will be a very successful year for the 2014 Florida Gators volleyball team. What we also shouldn't forget is that the Gators have one of the best coaches in the business leading them, and that is Mary Wise. This is going to be a season for the ages.

*All stats accredited to Gatorzone.com

2013 Gator Volleyball: A Year In Review

I remember walking into the O'Connell Center (which I now simply call the O-Dome) on August 31, 2013, to watch my first Gator volleyball match. On that day, I watched as the Gator volleyball team completely dismantled the Duke Blue Devils in three sets. I was astounded at how good the team was and from that day on I completely fell in love with the team. I was at every home game and witnessed firsthand as the Gators went 15-1 in the O-Dome during the regular season. The two most electric regular season home games had to be the ones against Florida State and #7 Missouri, who was the only undefeated team in the country at the time. The Gators swept the Seminoles and were swept by the Tigers, who went on to win the SEC this year. Down the stretch, the Gators began to look like they were slowing up. After the Missouri loss, the Gators swept both Alabama and LSU at home. However, both of these teams played the Gators close in every set. The Gators concluded the regular season with a 3-2 victory over Kentucky after leading 2-0.

When it came time for the tournament, the team took care of the Jacksonville Dolphins in three sets. All gears were set in motion for a rematch with FSU. The winner would go to the Sweet 16, the loser's season was done. The Gators had the home court advantage, but it was not enough as the Seminoles defeated them in five sets. It was a heartbreaking loss for me to stomach. I could not believe the season had ended so early. To make matters worse, I found out that undefeated Missouri had also lost in the second round of the tournament to the Purdue Boilermakers. Had the Gators beaten FSU, a Final Four spot would have all but been guaranteed to them because Missouri was the only other team in the bracket standing in their way. Based on how the Gators had been playing up to that point, especially going five sets against FSU, it is hard to say if they would have had enough gas left in the tank to get past the third round and beyond in the tournament.

With the 2013 season finally in the books, the Gators finished with a record of 28-4 (16-2 in SEC play). Below are the players who led the team in various statistical categories:

Kills: Chloe Mann (369) (Senior)

Digs: Taylor Unroe (415) (Junior)

Assists: Taylor Brauneis (1,156) (Senior)

Blocks: Simone Antwi (96) (Sophomore)

Service Aces: Taylor Unroe (72) (Junior)

Total Points: Chloe Mann (423) (Senior)

Gator volleyball was fierce, exciting, and a complete joy to watch and cover throughout the entire course of the season. The Gators lose two seniors in middle blocker Chloe Mann and setter Taylor Brauneis. Their presence on the court will indeed be missed, but the 2014 Gators should have no trouble finding success as new highly touted recruits enter the program. Apart from that, the early second round exit dealt to them by FSU will stick around in the minds of the returning players for awhile. It should give them more than enough hunger and motivation entering 2014.

*Stats accredited to Gatorzone.com

Heartbreaker In The O-Dome

Just like that it is all gone. In tonight's second round action in the NCAA Volleyball Tournament, the #5 seeded Gators fell in five sets to the Florida State Seminoles. Their 2013 season is now over and the Seminoles will face the winner of the match between California and Wisconsin in the Sweet 16. For anyone wondering, my prediction for the Gators reaching the Elite Eight has obviously fallen through big time.

For the last time of the 2013 season, here are my standouts for the game. I would like to recognize junior defensive specialist Maddie Monzerez. She came off of the bench and played extremely well with 13 digs and three assists. She played her heart out, and was one of three Gators with double digit assists. The other two were junior libero Taylor Unroe and sophomore Ziva Recek who both registered 15 digs a piece. In their final game as Florida Gators, Chloe Mann and Taylor Brauneis played well as always. Mann racked up 14 kills while Brauneis recorded 45 assists and four digs. As a team, the Gators had 18 blocks, seven of which involved Mann. Apart from Mann, Simone Antwi (14), Ziva Recek (10), and Alex Holston (10) all registered double digit figures in kills as well.

It was tough seeing the Florida State Seminoles celebrate on the home court of the Gators after this shocking upset. It made me feel angry and dejected because I knew the potential that this Gator team had. However, I did say in the preview that this game would be decided by whoever made the least amount of mistakes. That team was definitely not the Gators. They allowed three straight aces in the fourth set and had six net violations total in the match. In sets one and four, the Gators could not find a way to regain the lead once FSU went up early. I knew FSU would come out firing after getting swept earlier this year. I have said this before and I will say it again. When it comes to rivalry games, records can be thrown out the door.  FSU won the battle on this night, and it just so happened to come on one of the biggest of stages. Besides this early tournament exit, it has still been a great season for the 2013 Gator Volleyball team. It will be a tough offseason for the Gators following a loss of this magnitude at home to their archival, but they will bounce back. The greatest lessons are learned from defeat and if anybody can use this loss to motivate the girls for next year, it is head coach Mary Wise.

*Stats accredited to Gatorzone.com

NCAA Tournament First Round: #5 UF vs Jacksonville

The #5 seeded Florida Gators began their postseason run at home against the Jacksonville Dolphins in first round play. The first set was close, but the Gators swiftly took control of the match and won in three sets (25-19, 25-15, 25-16).

Chloe Mann, one of two seniors embarking on her final tournament run as a Gator, came out on fire and registered 15 kills and one block. The next best offensively was sophomore Ziva Recek who had 11 kills, an ace, and assisted with three blocks of her own. Defensively, sophomore Simone Antwi assisted with three blocks and junior libero led the way with nine digs. Worth noting is that sophomore outside hitter Gabby Mallette did not play this match. I do not know if she is hurt or if Coach Mary Wise was not playing her for strategic purposes. Nevertheless, her replacement came in the form of the redshirt sophomore Noami Santos-Lamb. Santos-Lamb had not played much throughout the regular season, but she brought it today as she registered seven kills and a dig.

With one win down, the epic rematch with Florida State has been set. The Gators won the first meeting with a three set sweep against their arch rivals on September 17 in the O-Dome. This game will not be an easy one for the Gators because I can guarantee that the Florida State Seminoles did not forget the first match. Even though the scoreboard said 3-0, FSU played the Gators tight all the way in the first match. It is going to be yet another close match that will be determined by who makes the least amount of mistakes. I would expect a large crowd to come out to this game since it will be the last time the Gators will play in the O-Dome this season. Two rivals playing each other in a win or go home scenario, what more could anybody want?

I would like to end this article by taking a moment to recognize Nelson Mandela. The former South African President died today at age 95. He was a great man who suffered through a ton of hardship for his people and he played a massive role in breaking down the racial/discriminative barriers in South Africa. He will be forever missed and remembered. R.I.P. Nelson Mandela (1918-2013).

*Stats accredited to Gatorzone.com

UF Volleyball Senior Night

Seniors Chloe Mann and Taylor Brauneis closed out magnificent careers at the O-Dome last Friday as the #4 Gators defeated the LSU Tigers in three sets (25-16, 25-19, 25-20). The Gators finish with an impressive home record of 15-1 and will close out the regular season at #9 Kentucky on Wednesday, November 27, at 8 pm. The LSU Tigers will conclude their season at Ole Miss on Wednesday as well.

Now for the standouts. In their final home game, Chloe Mann and Taylor Brauneis went out on a good note. Mann had 10 kills and one block while Brauneis had 39 assists with two kills. The game ended on a kill by Mann, which I thought was very fitting. Sophomore Gabby Mallette was the main offensive force of the night as the senior tallied 15 kills. On defense, Taylor Unroe had 10 digs. Service-wise, sophomores Simone Antwi (3) and Ziva Recek (2) combined for five aces.

The #4 Gators have all but survived a grueling November as the NCAA Tournament looms closer and closer. From what I have seen, the Gators have been slowing up a bit down the stretch. However, when the bright lights come on the stakes are high, I believe the girls will rise to the occasion. I'll try to catch the Kentucky game on ESPNU and give a report. If I can't, then I'll be preparing my NCAA Volleyball Tournament preview. Until then, stay tuned.

*Stats accredited to Gatorzone.com

UF Volleyball: #5 UF vs Alabama

The #5 Florida Gators closed out their three match home stand with a three game sweep over the Alabama Crimson Tide. However, this sweep was not an easy one as the Gators won the first two sets by scores of 25-21 and 25-23. Things were a bit easier for them in the third set as they won 25-17. The Tide came ready to play, but at the end of the day Florida's talent stymied any hope of an upset. I believe that this match was close only because the Gators were so fatigued after playing three games in a week with a total of two off days. With the season winding down, the team will need to rejuvenate and catch fire if they want to make noise in the postseason. Under the leadership of Head Coach Mary Wise and seniors Chloe Mann and Taylor Brauneis, the Gators should have no problem taking their game to the next level when the situation demands it.

Offensively in today's match it was all Gabby Mallette. The sophomore tallied eleven kills and represented 11.5 of the team's 53 points. Defensively, it was a block party as the Gators had 10 blocks on the day. One last interesting note I would like to make is that libero Taylor Unroe, whose primary job is digging and serving, actually got a kill in the match today. Keep in mind that Unroe is 5'7. Apart from her rare kill, Unroe did have two service aces on the day as well.

The Gators are now on the homestretch of the season and they just have to keep their focus as the National Tournament looms. Next up for the Gators are the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville. The game will take place on Wednesday at 5 p.m. The game can be see on ESPNU. I will definitely try to watch the game and write a post game report, but I will probably have it on mute. I am not a fan of what appears to be an anti-Florida bias that the ESPNU announcers present when they talk, whether they know it or not. As for the Alabama Crimson Tide... at least the football team is still #1 in all the polls, and that is mostly what fans in Tuscaloosa care about. All joking aside, the Crimson Tide (who sport a nifty 21-8 record) will do battle with the Ole Miss Rebels back home at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 22.

*Stats accredited to Gatorzone.com

UF Volleyball: #5 UF vs #7 Missouri

The O-Dome was rocking as the undefeated #7 Missouri Tigers came to Gainesville to take on the #5 Florida Gators. Unfortunately the Gators fell to the Tigers in three sets by scores of 25-22, 25-23, and 25-23. As a die hard fan of the team, this was a hard loss to swallow. To see the Gators lose a game at home was really hard to cope with. Then I put things into perspective. This was a great game for the Gators to have with the National Tournament just weeks away. I believe this loss will light a fire underneath the girls and they will come out ready to play in the postseason. I give a ton of credit to Mizzou. With a team consisting of nine six footers, they came out and showed that the SEC will need to make room for another elite team besides the Gators. Mizzou capitalized on the Gators' mistakes. Blowing a 5-0 lead in the third set after a timeout and a plethora of service errors in the first set are just a few of the many mental mistakes the team made that Friday night against Mizzou. Despite this heartbreaking loss, which eliminates Florida's chances of winning an SEC regular season title, the Gators are still on pace to get another 25 win season.

My notables for this game are Ziva Recek, Chloe Mann, Alex Holston, and Gabby Mallette. Recek has been playing great this season, and she continued her stellar play with 12 kills and one ace. She accounted for 13 of the 56 Gator points. Mann led the team in kills with 16 and assisted with three blocks. She had most of the Gator points with 17.5. Both Holston (9) and Mallette (8) combined for 17 kills and Mallette had two solo blocks. Like Mann, Holston assisted on three blocks as well.

The Gators have nothing to be ashamed of. They fought valiantly in every set and barely lost. Missouri is undefeated for a reason. This was the Gator's first home loss this year but they look to restart the winning streak as they take on the Alabama Crimson Tide at 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 17. Meanwhile, Missouri will look to stay undefeated as they head on up to South Carolina to face the Gamecocks in an early 12:30 p.m. match on Sunday as well.

*Stats accredited to Gatorzone.com

UF Volleyball: #5 UF vs South Carolina

It was Veteran's Night at the O-Dome on this chilly November night as the #5 Gators hosted the South Carolina Gamecocks in this late season SEC matchup. After honoring those who served, the Gators got to work and swept the Gamecocks in three sets. The first two sets were blowouts (25-15, 25-9), but the last one was tight as the Gators only won by a score of 25-22. This match served as a fine tuneup before the match of the year against undefeated Missouri on Friday.

Sophomore hitter Ziva Recek played like a girl possessed. I came to this conclusion after I saw her hit one of the hardest balls in my life for a kill. That was one of the 15 kills she had on the night. Not to mention that she also had three aces and nine digs. She accounted for 18 of the 57 Gator points. The next highest belong to fellow sophomore Simone Antwi with 10 points. This is the best I have seen Recek play in a long time.

Behind Recek's monster performance, defensive specialists Holly Pole and Nikki O'Rourke had eight digs a piece. Gabby Mallette also came ready to go on defense as the sophomore assisted with three blocks. Simone Antwi also decided to attend this block party with Mallette as she had a solo block and assisted with two. Offensively, Antwi contributed with eight kills.

It would be near impossible to finish this article without mentioning junior libero Taylor Unroe and senior middle blocker Chloe Mann. Unroe had seven digs and two aces, one being the game winner. Chloe Mann, the heart and soul of the team, helped light a fire beneath her teammates as all of her eight kills came at critical times in the match. As a senior, Mann is doing a great job of not pressing or having the mentality that she has to do everything herself. She will take over the game if she needs to, but it is evident having watched her for many games that she trusts her teammates.

So now the stage is set. This Friday at 7 p.m., the SEC race will be decided. I've been waiting for this game for a while now. #7 Missouri remains the Gators' only loss in SEC play. If the Gators are able to pull off this victory on Friday, they will be tied at the top of the SEC standings. Assuming both teams win out, the Gators will win a share of the SEC regular season title. The SEC aside, no feeling is better than being that team who hands an undefeated its first loss. From what I saw tonight, the Gators are going to be ready to go against Missouri. It will be a match for the ages.

*Stats accredited to Gatorzone.com

#5 UF Volleyball Beats TAMU in a Five Set Thriller

It is uncharacteristic of me to write about Gator Volleyball games that are on the road because I usually have no means to watch them. But this game against the Texas A&M Aggies was different. Earlier this season, October 4 to be precise, the Gators cruised to a three set victory over the Aggies here in Gainesville. On Sunday, however, a completely different Aggie team showed up. They took the first set from the Gators 26-24. When I tuned into the game via ESPNU, I could not believe the Gators were losing! In the second set, the Gators struggled as they barely escaped with a 25-23. In the third set, the Gators returned to their dominant form and crushed the Aggies by a score of 25-8. Junior libero Taylor Unroe racked up eight straight points while serving and three of those eight points were aces. Up 2-1 going into the fourth, I figured it was over. The Gators are ranked #5 for a reason. They put teams away to win games. But the Aggies would not go away. They put up a valiant fight and staved off a match point to win the fourth set 26-24.

It came down to a fifth set. The Gators had not played a fifth set all year and as an avid follower and reporter of the team I was indeed nervous. I had to mute the volume because the ESPNU announcers were very bias and seemed to be rooting for Texas A&M. I had dealt with enough annoying announcers after watching the Gator football team on CBS with those "geniuses." The fifth set was a back and forth affair as the Aggies matched the Gators for every point they scored. Suddenly, the Aggies went on a run and went up 11-8. For those not familiar with volleyball, the fifth set is only up to 15. The Gators dug deep and began to trim the lead down, but the Aggies soon found themselves with a match point up 14-13. I held my breath as the ball was served. The only thing going through my mind was the Aggies 0-8 all time record against the Gators. I was devastated when I saw the ball hit Chloe Mann and fall to the court because I had never actually seen the Gators lose before. But my spirits were lifted as the point was Florida's because Mann had blocked the ball! With a second life and the score 14-14, who else but Taylor Unroe was serving. The Gators promptly went up 15-14 and it all came down to one last serve from Unroe. She threw the ball high up and hit a rocket that skimmed over the net and fell to the floor. It was an ace. The game was over. Florida won 16-14. I put my arms up to celebrate the victory and lauded Taylor for coming up clutch when the Gators needed her. This win was a big one because the Gators could not afford to lose any SEC games since they lost to Missouri earlier in the season. Missouri has not lost a single game this year and had also beaten Kentucky in three sets on this day.

As customary, here are the players who stood out to me. It would be impossible to not mention Taylor Unroe as the junior libero had six aces, one being the game winner. Sophomore Ziva Recek scored a double double with 10 kills and 14 digs. Offensively, Senior Chloe Mann (22 kills) and freshman sensation Alex Holston (21 kills) rose to the occasion as the combined for 43 kills on the day. Sophomore Gabby Mallette had 10 kills of her own as well as two solo blocks. The stellar performances aside though, it took a complete team effort to pull this win off. The Gators now enter their bye week and will resume play Wednesday, November 13, against the South Carolina Gamecocks at 6 p.m. in the O'Connell Center. This is the start of a three game home stretch for the Gators. On the other side, the Texas A&M Aggies will look to regroup after their near upset of the #5 team in the nation. They will hit the road to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Friday, November 8, at 7 p.m.

*Stats accredited to Gatorzone.com

Fun Weekend of UF Volleyball

This weekend I attended both the Florida Gator volleyball matches against SEC foes Auburn and Tennessee.  The Gators won both matches 3-0. In the Friday match vs the Auburn Tigers, the #5 Gators started off slow and won the first set by a close score of 25-21. After that, the Gators put it on cruise control as they dominated the rest of the match. The offensive standout of this game was sophomore Simone Antwi who had 11 kills. Junior libero Taylor Unroe took charge defensively with 16 digs and sophomore Ziva Recek helped out with 14 digs of her own. Unroe also had two service aces to add to her stellar night. I was actually staying at the hotel where Auburn's team was saying and its safe to say they got over the loss pretty quickly.

On Sunday vs the Tennessee Volunteers, the Gators found themselves down by as much as six in the second set. But like all good teams do, they found a way to rally back and take the set from Tennessee by a score of 25-21. The Volunteers were clearly demoralized after dropping a set they thought they had won. Down 0-2 on the road, there was nothing they could do as the #5 team in the country beat them 25-15 in the final set to take the match. Ziva Recek was the offensive star of the match with 14 kills. Defensively, it was again Taylor Unroe who led the team with 15 digs. The win against Tennessee puts the Gators at 20-2 (9-1 in SEC play) for the season and they will look to take care of business on the road next Friday against the LSU Tigers. As for Tennessee, they will actually be meeting Auburn in Knoxville on Friday as both squads look to rebound from rough trips to Gainesville.

*Stats accredited to Gatorzone.com

Volleyball: #2 UF vs Georgia

The #2 Florida Gators downed the SEC rival Georgia Bulldogs in three sets in Sunday's afternoon matchup. The Gators cruised throughout the match and won each set in a convincing manner. Senior Chloe Mann (11), sophomore Simone Antwi (10), and freshman Alex Holston (11) combined for 32 of the 46 Gator kills on the afternoon.  Defensively, junior Taylor Unroe (14), senior Taylor Brauneis (10), and sophomore Ziva Recek (9) had 35 of the 48 Gator digs. The Gators once again showed why they are the favorite to win the SEC for the 21st time in program history and look to continue their winning ways on the road vs the Arkansas Razorbacks next Friday. Georgia will also hit the road to do battle with the Missouri Tigers next Friday as well.

*Stats accredited to Gatorzone.com

Serving For a Cure

On Friday the #2 Florida Gators played host to the #15 Kentucky Wildcats during the team's annual match for Breast Cancer Awareness. Pink was everywhere as survivors were honored and the girls wore pink warmup shirts. When the match began, the Gators started out a little slow. But like I have come to expect by now, the Gators turned it on and swept Kentucky. The Gators won every set 25-20, which shows that Kentucky is indeed a good team and can easily be an opponent who gives the Gators their money's worth when they meet again in Lexington on the last day of the regular season. The Gators and Wildcats are the only two SEC teams ranked in the Top 25.

Senior Chloe Mann led the way this game as she had 3 solo blocks (1 more assisted) and 11 kills. Also with a 11 kills was sophomore Ziva Recek, who had 14 digs as well. These two were not even the leaders in kills as sophomore Gabby Mallette had 12 and freshman Alex Holston had 13. From what I have seen from Holston these last couple of games, here spike has been nearly impossible to defend. It's an encouraging sign for the Gators to know that they will have her on the squad for quite a while. Defensively, Recek, and juniors Taylor Unroe and Holly Pole played well as they combined for 36 digs (Recek had 14, Unroe had 12, and Pole had 10). After a solid win, the Gators will look to down rival Georgia in the O'Connell Center at 2:30 pm this upcoming Sunday. Kentucky will look to get back on track as the Wildcats head to South Carolina to take on the Gamecocks this Sunday at 1:30 pm.

*Stats accredited to Gatorzone.com