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The 2014 SEC volleyball title belongs to the sixth ranked Gators, with a 3-1 victory at Ole Miss (20-9, 6-9 SEC) and Florida’s 17th consecutive victory as the exclamation point Friday evening.
After clinching at least a share of the title last week at Kentucky, the Orange and Blue battled it out with the Rebels in Oxford to earn the program’s 21st SEC championship outright (25-22, 25-23, 24-26, 25-11).
Behind a double-double from junior setter Mackenzie Dagostino — 49 assists, 11 digs — and a career-best 16 kills from junior middle Simone Antwi, Florida moved to 22-3 overall this season and an undefeated 16-0 in SEC play to ensure the SEC title, UF’s third in the last five years, returned to Gainesville.
Antwi hit .560 for the Gators, while sophomore right side Alex Holston led the Orange and Blue with 18 kills offensively. Senior libero Holly Pole rallied for a team-high 14 digs to join Dagostino in double-digit scoops. Florida hit .331, limited Ole Miss to a .149 clip and posted 11 blocks to the Rebels’ seven.
Three Gators scored double-digit points for UF, including Antwi (18.0), Holston (19.0) and freshman Rhamat Alhassan (13.5), who has now led UF in blocks in 23 of 25 matches this season.
With her first dig against the Rebels Friday, senior Taylor Unroe became just the second player in Florida history to eclipse 1,500 career digs. Unroe, who ranks second all-time in the Gator record books for career digs, now has 1,505 scoops while donning the Orange and Blue.
The Gators will be back in action Sunday at Arkansas (14-14, 7-8 SEC), with first serve slated for noon from Fayetteville.
