The Official Website of the Southeastern Conference
The Official Website of the Southeastern Conference

No. 9 Gators defeat Aggies 3-1

2534 days ago
Florida Athletics

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Junior All-American middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan turned in one of the best performances by an SEC player this season, leading the No. 9 Gators to a 3-1 victory over defending conference champion Texas A&M on Sunday evening.

Alhassan amassed 27.5 points on 22 kills and 10 blocks-all season highs-while hitting at a .528 clip. The Glenarden, Md. native is the only SEC player this season to record 20-plus kills and 10 blocks in a match.

Senior right side Alex Holston (17 kills, 11 digs) and junior outside hitter Carli Snyder (11 kills, 12 digs) logged double-doubles for the Gators. It was Snyder's team-best seventh of the season and third in UF's last four matches. Holston's double-double was her second of the year.

Nearly all of UF's season-high 64 kills were dished out by redshirt sophomore setter Allie Monserez, who tied her career high with 57 assists-which also equaled the highest total by any SEC player in a 4-set match this season.

The tale of the match was once again the Gators' defense. UF registered 14 total blocks, five of which came in the match-clinching fourth set, and held Texas A&M to a .184 hitting percentage. The Gators have held 13 of their 18 opponents this season under a .200 clip.

UF opened and closed the match on lengthy runs sparked by service play from junior libero Caroline Knop. On their way to a victory in the first set, the Gators won nine of the match's first 12 points. Knop went on to serve out the final six points of the match.

WORDS FROM THE GATORS

Florida head coach Mary Wise's overall thoughts on the win...

"That was like two heavyweight boxers coming out in the ring early. The first set was such high-level volleyball with neither team giving an inch. It took a special performance from Rhamat (Alhassan) for us to win in four. Her performance will go down in the books."

Florida junior middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan on her performance today....

"It's just a lot of what we've been working on in practice finally starting to click. Allie (Monserez) and I had a great connection. Our passing was awesome. Everything just started clicking. Hopefully it continues on through the season. We got the win. It's just a really good win for us.

UP NEXT

Florida returns to Gainesville for a four-match homestand at the Lemerand Athletic Center, where the Gators are 4-1 this season. The run of four straight home matches begins Friday (Oct. 21) at 7 p.m. ET against Mississippi State, and continues with a 12 p.m. ET matchup versus Georgia on Sunday (Oct. 23).

Friday's match will be streamed live on SEC Network + via Watch ESPN, while Sunday's match will be televised by SEC Network.