Senior setter Angie McGinnis (Fraser, Mich.) posted her fourth double-double of the season on Sunday, finishing with 36 assists and 12 digs, to lead the 10th-ranked University of Florida volleyball team to a 3-0 (30-24, 30-23, 30-19) win over Mississippi at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.

McGinnis spread the ball around to five Gators who had at least five kills on the day, led by 10 from freshman outside hitter Callie Rivers (Winter Park, Fla.). Senior middle blocker Kisya Killingsworth (Deltona, Fla.) came up with nine kills on the day, while McGinnis, senior outside hitter Marcie Hampton (Gainesville, Fla.) and senior opposite hitter Amber McCray (Longview, Texas) each had six.

“When you see a 3-0 win for the Gators today, it doesn’t tell the true story of the match,” Florida head coach Mary Wise said. “The way both teams played in the back row made for some really fun volleyball. We were able to score from a lot of different positions today, which is something that will certainly help us down the road.”

Florida’s defense was also active on Sunday, posting a three-game season high 14.0 total blocks and out-digging the Rebels, 63-47. Sophomore libero/defensive specialist Elyse Cusack (Melrose, Fla.) finished with 13 digs to break her own school record with her 25th-consecutive match in double figures. Killingsworth claimed team-high honors with seven total blocks, while McGinnis chipped in with six and McCray and junior middle blocker Kelsey Bowers (Gainesville, Fla.) each had four. McGinnis’ 12 digs moved her past Kris Bova for the second-most digs by a setter in school history.

The Gators found themselves facing an 8-4 deficit early in the opening game, but battled back to tie the score at 11-11 with a 7-3 run that was fueled by a block solo and a kill by Rivers. UF took its first lead of the afternoon at 15-14 courtesy of a Rivers kill, a play that sparked a 3-0 Florida run to force a Mississippi timeout with the count resting at 17-14 in favor of the hosts. The Rebels took the first two points after the break to cut the lead to one, but Rivers and McGinnis responded with kills on consecutive rallies to push the Gators’ edge to 20-16. UF extended its margin to 23-18 on the strength of kills by Bowers and Killingsworth before UM called its second timeout of the frame. Rivers’ sixth kill of the opener forced game point for the Gators at 29-23, and McGinnis finished off the first game two rallies later with a kill of her own to give UF game one, 30-24. Florida registered 5.0 blocks as a team in the first stanza, led by three from Bowers, to hold Mississippi to .195 hitting.

Back-to-back kills by Rivers helped UF draw even at 3-3 early in game two, and the Gators battled until a Killingsworth kill gave them their first lead of the game at 9-8. Florida took a 12-9 lead when Bowers and McCray combined on a block assist, but the Rebels fought back to tie the match at 15-15. Killingsworth helped put the Gators up by a score of 20-17 with a pair of kills and a block assist with Hampton, forcing the Rebels to call their first timeout of the frame. A kill by sophomore middle blocker Kristina Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind.) and an ace by freshman defensive specialist Erin Fleming (Orlando, Fla.) on consecutive rallies extended UF’s lead to 25-21, and Florida took five of the last seven points of the game, culminating on an ace from Cusack, en route to capturing a 30-23 win. Hampton, Johnson, Killingsworth and Rivers each had three kills in the frame, as McGinnis spread the ball around to the tune of 13 assists.

UF got early kills from McGinnis and Hampton in game three, but the Gators faced 6-4 deficit at the outset of the frame. Hampton tied the game at 7-7 at the end of a scrambling rally with a kill of the Mississippi block, and Florida took its first lead of the game at 12-11 on a Killingsworth solo block. Rivers’ second block solo of the afternoon came four rallies later and jump started a 3-0 UF run that put the Gators on top by a score of 16-13 and forced Mississippi to burn its first timeout of the game. Rivers, McGinnis and Johnson each fired home kills after break to run the lead to 19-15, and Florida’s advantage was five points, 22-17, when the Rebels asked for their final timeout of the game. Back-to-back block assists by Killingsworth and McGinnis increased the margin to 24-17, and the Gators chalked up four blocks down the stretch to cap the match with a 30-19 win. Killingsworth was active in game three, helping UF clinch the deciding frame with a three kills and five total blocks.

The Gators’ next match will take them to Columbia, S.C., on Wednesday night for a showdown with travel partner South Carolina. The action is slated to commence at 7 p.m., and radio coverage can be found on WRUF-AM 850.

- UF –