Gator Volleyball Smashes the Canes to Move on in NCAA Tourney

Mary Wise said that the 2nd round in the NCAA tournament is always the hardest—she was right.

The Florida Gator volleyball team is headed to the NCAA Regional Semi-final after defeating the Miami Hurricanes three sets to one. Florida was led by Shainah Joseph who had a career-high 21.5 points.

How the Gators Advanced

Fresh off their three-set win against Alabama State on Thursday night, the Gators came out firing.

Thanks to Carli Snyder’s 4 kills and team-high five points, Florida was able to win the first set 25-14. Rhamat Alhassan was also a huge contributor as she scored four points, all of which were kills. The Gators held the Canes to a .111 hitting percentage.

The second set was the toughest set of the night as Miami got out to a seven to two lead and held the advantage for the rest of the set. Florida never got into a rhythm and lost the set 25 to 19. Miami’s Olga Strantzali led her team with 9.5 points.

Carli Snyder talked about how her team just had to take a deep breath get back to playing Gator Volleyball after losing the set.

The Gators rebounded in a big way winning the third set 25 to 11. Shainah Joseph stepped when she was needed the most as she had seven kills as part of her eight points in the set. Paige Hammonds led the defensive charge as she had five digs.

.@shainahjoseph is out there BALLIN' tonight! 13 kills, 4 blocks, .545 clip pic.twitter.com/dDAw5FWAUj

— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) December 2, 2017

The fourth set was also tough as the Hurricanes were leading through more than half the set. The Gators made a run mid-way through giving them a 21-18 lead which ignited the crowd. Florida never looked back winning the fourth and final set 25 to 23.

How Sweet It is

The Gators are now two wins away from another Final Four appearance.

UF has a week to prepare for their Sweet Sixteen match on Friday. Shainah Joseph said that the team will take a much-needed rest day on Saturday and then will begin preparing for the next round.

Florida rides a 13 game win streak into Friday’s Sweet Sixteen match-up.

That's a #ShainahSMASH and a #GatorsWin!

We're in the O'Dome chasing a Final Four berth next weekend!!!!! #WeChomp pic.twitter.com/k5UZHn2Z2S

— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) December 2, 2017