Florida sweeps Georgia Tech

March 3rd, 2007

Led by strong play from sophomore Alli Cecchini and redshirt freshman Janine Williams, the University of Florida volleyball swept Georgia Tech 3-0 and 4-0 in a pair of matches on Saturday at the Lemerand Center.

The Gators won the morning session match with game scores of 30-22, 30-25, 31-29 before claiming the afternoon match 30-25, 30-24, 30-21, 15-13. Williams collected seven kills on .357 in the opening match before recording 13 in the second, while Cecchini played at the setter and right side spots and performed well at both.

“Today was a great opportunity to get Janine Williams back onto the court,” Florida coach Mary Wise said. “Janine played the entire day on the left side and scored a lot of points. She has shown signs of improvement over the course of her redshirt season. Today was also an opportunity to give Alli a chance to set and spring is the perfect opportunity for players to get better.”

In the morning, the Gators led from start to finish in the opening game and secured a 30-22 win. Rising senior Kisya Killingsworth and Cecchini led UF with four kills each. Georgia Tech forged out to a 17-12 advantage in the second game before the Gators rallied with an 8-3 run to tie the game at 20-20 before scoring 10 of the final 15 points in a 30-25 win. Killingsworth again led the Gators with five kills, while rising junior middle blocker Kelsey Bowers had three blocks and rising sophomore Elyse Cusack added eight digs. The third game was a tight affair with the Gators building a 17-10 lead before fighting off a late Yellow Jacket rally in a 31-29 win. UF staved off a game point with Georgia Tech up 29-28 when rising sophomore middle blocker Kristina Johnson collected a kill down the middle. Johnson answered with a kill on the following point before Williams and Bowers picked up a tandem block to close out the match.

In the afternoon session, Florida opened the match with a 30-25 win in the opening game. The Gators again led from start to finish with Killingsworth pacing UF with seven kills with Bowers adding three blocks. In the second game, Florida again asserted itself with an early 10-2 run before cruising to a 30-24 win. Johnson paced UF with five kills and three block assists, while Williams added four kills and a pair of aces. Florida won the third game in turning a close game at the midway point into a 30-21 win by scoring 11 of the final 15 points. Williams and Bowers each had four kills to lead UF, while Cecchini added two aces. The teams played a final game to 15 points and Florida triumphed 15-13. The Yellow Jackets held an 11-7 advantage, but Florida scored eight of the final 10 points to claim the win. Cusack provided strong serving in the stretch before Bowers ended the game with a kill. Williams led Florida with three kills in the game.

Florida returns to action during the spring season on March 24 when the Gators entertain the College of Charleston, the University of Tampa and Central Florida. Action is slated to begin at 11 a.m. at the Lemerand Center.