Special report on the Florida Gators volleyball team:
GAINESVILLE, Fla.- The ninth-ranked Florida volleyball team closed out its series against the LSU Tigers on a high note, topping the Tigers in a four-set battle on Thursday night in Exactech Arena.
The Gators improve to 10-2 on the year, while LSU drops to 3-7 in the conference-only format.
UF won the first set 25-17, but LSU answered with a 25-22 victory in the second frame. Florida grabbed the third set with a score of 25-20 and clinched the match with a 25-19 fourth frame performance.
The outsides came up huge for Florida in the victory, with T’ara Ceasar and Thayer Hall combining for 39 kills. Ceasar posted a season-high 20 kills on the evening with a .425 clip – also a season-best mark. Hall registered 19 kills on the night, just one off her season-high performance.
First Set
The first set saw the Gators get out to an early 9-4 lead over the Tigers. Not long after, LSU brought it to a one point deficit at 10-9. Both teams stayed locked in a tight set until LSU took their first lead at 25-24. Florida came back with three straight points to win the first set 27-25. In that first set, LSU’s Taylor Bannister had seven kills and for the Gators, T’ara Ceasar had five kills and Lauren Dooley had four kills and a perfect hitting percentage. Marlie Monserez had 15 assists, and Holly Carlton had two aces.
LSU (3-6, 3-6 SEC)
How It Happened
The first set was a back-and-forth battle from the start, with the Gators grabbing the slight edge of 15-12 going into the media timeout. Out of that break, Florida went up six on the Tigers at 18-12, but LSU continued to chip away, eventually tying the frame 24-24. Florida fell behind 25-24, but two points from Ceasar and an LSU error sealed the set for Florida at 27-25.
As a team, the Gators hit .278 in the first frame, led by five kills from Ceasar. Dooley added four of her own, while Carlton tallied three in the set. Monserez dished out 15 assists along, while McKissock totaled five digs.
Special report on the Florida Gators volleyball team:
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The ninth-ranked Florida volleyball team (8-2, 8-2 SEC) welcomes the LSU Tigers (3-5, 3-5 SEC) to Exactech Arena for a two-match series beginning on Feb. 10.
Wednesday’s first serve is slated for 6 p.m. on the SEC Network + and can be heard on 98.1 FM/850 AM. Thursday’s match will also begin at 6 p.m. on the SEC Network + and can be heard on FloridaGators.com/watch.
UF holds the 46-13 record against LSU in program history, including a 43-5 record under the helm of Mary Wise.
The spring portion of the 2020-21 SEC volleyball slate will consist of a 16-match, conference-only schedule. Those 16 matches will be played as two-match series, consisting of four home weekends and four away weekends.