Florida clinches share of SEC title
November 12th, 2006
Led by a match-high 12 kills from junior Kisya Killingsworth, the seventh-ranked Florida volleyball team clinched at least a share of its 16th consecutive Southeastern Conference title with a sweep of Mississippi State (30-14, 30-15, 30-17) before a crowd of 1,810 fans on Sunday at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
The Gators (24-2 overall, 17-1 SEC) clinched at least a share of their 16th straight SEC title with the victory which ties the Arkansas men’s cross country squad for the most consecutive SEC titles in conference history in any sport. If Florida wins either of its final two matches in SEC play or LSU loses either of its last two matches then the Gators would claim the title outright.
Florida improved to 30-0 versus the Bulldogs in the series history and 21-0 under Mary Wise. The Gators have only dropped one game to Mississippi State in the series and improved their game record to 90-1.
Florida finished the match with more kills (43-33), digs (47-38) and blocks (15.0-2.0), while out-hitting the Bulldogs .347-.082. The Gators also out-served Mississippi State – the league’s top serving team – as UF had six aces, while the Bulldogs had only two.
“This win was a product of so many complete performances. It was the perfect type of match to clinch a share of the SEC title because we got good play from everybody,” Florida coach Mary Wise said. “All the SEC titles are special, but with the double-round robin and the league becoming more competitive, I think you can make the argument that this one becomes a little more special.”
Sophomore middle blocker Kelsey Bowers pitched in with nine kills on .600 hitting and also had two block solos and eight block assists – the third time in 2006 that she reached double-figures in blocks in a three-game match. Freshman libero Elyse Cusack collected 16 digs making her the sixth player in UF history to reach 400 in a season.
Junior setter Angie McGinnis finished the match with 30 assists and now only needs 18 to become the third player in UF history to record 4,000 career assists. McGinnis also added six blocks and five digs.
Florida returns to action on Friday, Nov. 17 when the Gators travel to Knoxville to face Tennessee. The contest can be seen live on FSN Florida and will be broadcast on Rock 104 and www.GatorZone.com. The Gators will then return home for their final SEC match of the season when UF hosts Kentucky on Sunday, Nov. 19 at 1:30 p.m. on Senior Day.
