Sophomore
middle blockers Kisya Killingsworth
(Deltona, Fla.) and Kari Klinkenborg
(Highlands Ranch, Colo.) combined for 23 kills and seven blocks while each hit
above .650 as No. 6 Florida remained undefeated in school history vs. Alabama
with a 3-0 (30-22, 30-28, 30-28) victory Friday evening at the Coleman
Auxiliary Volleyball Extension.
The win
moved the Gators a step closer to the program’s 15th straight Southeastern
Conference title as Florida
(22-2, 12-1) needs just one win to clinch at least a share of the crown and two
in its last three matches to win the title outright.
The
Gators swept the Crimson Tide (20-6, 8-5) for the seventh consecutive time and
handed Alabama just its second loss at home in 2005 in moving to 23-0 all-time
vs. the Tide. Florida finished with more kills
(55-53), digs (49-38) and blocks (7.0-3.0), while out-hitting Alabama .385-.260.
“Our
middles – Kisya and Kari – were awfully good tonight from both an offensive and
blocking standpoint,” Florida
coach Mary Wise said. “We got double-digits in points from four different
players and that’s good for the Gators. For us to come out of here with a 3-0
victory we had to play well and we did.”
Killingsworth had 13 kills on .667 hitting with three blocks, while Klinkenborg added 10 kills on .750 hitting with four
blocks. Sophomore setter Angie McGinnis
(Fraser, Mich.)
performed well for UF with 48 assists, five kills on .625 hitting, five digs
and three blocks. Senior outside hitter Jane
Collymore (Englewood, Colo.) tied Killingsworth for the Gator lead in points
with 14.5, while adding 12 kills. Senior libero Rachel Engel (Littleton, Colo.)
finished in double figures in digs with a match-high 14.
Florida finished with just one attack
error and hit .500 in the opening game in a 30-22 win. After the Crimson Tide took
a 6-4 lead, the Gators responded with five consecutive points behind the serve
of Collymore to move ahead 9-6. Collymore had a pair of aces in the stretch and
added a kill. Alabama cut Florida’s lead to two at 12-10, but the
Gators again responded with a 5-0 run to move ahead 17-10. Serving was again
key with sophomore outside hitter Marcie
Hampton (Gainesville, Fla.) doing the honors, while
Killingsworth had a pair of block assists and a kill in the stretch. Neither
team scored more than two consecutive points the rest of the way before the
game ended with an Alabama
attack error. Six different Gators hit above .250 in the game with Collymore
tallying six kills on .667 hitting and Hampton
adding five on .364 hitting. Junior defensive specialist Rhian Davis (Austin, Texas) and Engel each had a game-high
five digs.
Florida led for nearly all of the second game before fending off
a late Alabama
run in a 30-28 win. The Crimson Tide jumped out to an early 6-4 lead before the
Gators went on a 7-1 run to move on top for good 10-7. Alabama didn’t go away and never was behind
by more than four points. Following a Crimson Tide service error, the Gators
led 29-26, but Alabama
fended off a pair of game points before Killingsworth closed things out with a
kill. She led all players with five kills in the game on just six swings, while
Engel paced all players with six digs.
The final
frame was another tight affair as the Gators trailed midway through before
overtaking the Crimson Tide in a 30-28 win. The teams traded points in the
early stages before Alabama
opened up a 14-9 lead. Florida
stormed back with four straight points and eight of nine in taking a 16-15
advantage. The Gators maintained a slim lead the rest of the way with the Tide
staying within two before creeping up at 28-27. Killingsworth notched a kill on
the slide to make it 29-27 before Alabama
fought off one match point. But McGinnis put away the Crimson Tide with a kill
to seal the match. Klinkenborg and Killingsworth each had five kills in the
game, while Hampton
added six digs.
The
Gators return to action on Sunday when Florida
plays at Auburn
in a Cox Sports televised match at 2:30 p.m. The contest will also be carried
on WRUF-AM 850 and www.GatorZone.com.
