Special to Gatorsports.com
COLUMBIA, Mo. – In the top-25 SEC battle, the No. 13 Florida volleyball team held on to defeat the No. 24 Missouri Tigers in five sets on Wednesday night in Hearnes Arena.
Florida (18-3 overall) remains atop the SEC with a 9-1 record in conference play.
The Gators took the first set 25-22, before falling 25-17 in the second frame. Florida went up 2-1 in the match after winning the third set 29-27. Missouri (14-5, 6-3 SEC) took the fourth set 25-20, but the Gators were victorious in the final frame, winning 15-12.
Florida had four Gators in double-digit kills – Thayer Hall posted a team-high 19, while Holly Carlton added 13. Paige Hammons and Rachael Kramer both pitched in 12 kills apiece on the night.
Marlie Monserez dished out 47 assists in the match to lead the squad.
Allie Gregory led the backcourt defense, recording 16 digs in the match. Hammons and Monserez each recorded 10 digs apiece.
As a squad, Florida registered 13.0 blocks, led by six from Kramer. Monserez added five blocks of her own to tie her career-best mark. Carlton and Lauren Dooley each added four blocks on the night as well.
UF notched eight service aces on the night, led by three from Monserez – tying her career-best mark. Hall added two in the match.
The Gators have break coming up, with the next match coming on Nov. 8 against Ole Miss.
The Gators have an eight-day break before heading to Ole Miss on Nov. 8 for a 7:30 p.m. matchup
This was a big win, going into Columbia and beating the Tigers. Great job ladies. Go Gators!