Season Preview: Gators Ready To Go In 2005
Friday, August 12, 2005 | Volleyball
The 2004 edition of the University of Florida volleyball team possessed what many coaches deem to be two rather sizable pratfalls: youth and inexperience.
And all the Gators did was go out and claim the program's 14th straight Southeastern Conference title and earn Florida's 14th consecutive bid to the NCAA Championship.
The 2005 group of Gators have eliminated one of those supposed roadblocks (experience). But, a question begs to be answered: if the Gators can win a conference title and advance to the NCAA Championship with two sizable cirrocumulus clouds above their heads, then what will they accomplish with just one?
Florida returns five starters and nine letterwinners from the 2004 squad and better than 60 percent of the 2004 team's kills, total attempts, assists, service aces, digs and points. In addition, the Gators have the luxury of bringing back 2004 SEC Player of the Year Jane Collymore and 2004 SEC Freshman of the Year Angie McGinnis.
As always, the Gators will also have the fortune of possessing one of the brightest coaching staffs in the country in head coach Mary Wise, associate head coach Nick Cheronis, assistant coach Arlisa Hagan and volunteer assistant Josh Hill. Last season, Wise earned her 450th career win at Florida and helped guide the Gators to the program's 600th win. And, if there is one certainty in the world it's this: one can always count on Florida to win 90 percent of its matches. The Gators have never won fewer than 28 matches in a season under Wise and have amassed at least 30 victories 10 times in her 14 seasons. Cheronis and Hagan both scout opponents and form defensive strategies and have no doubt been critical to UF volleyball success and will continue to help lead Florida to success in all aspects, as will Hill, who will continue the long tradition of outstanding volunteer coaches.
Stir everything together in a jumbo-sized pot and the results indicate the Gators should be in for one whale of a ride in 2005.
"There is no substitute for experience," Wise said. "Although we took some lumps last year, we knew going into the season due to injuries and graduation losses that our work was cut out for us. Last year's team overcame as much, if not more than any Gator Volleyball team ever. With continued hard work, the experience gained from last year will only benefit us this season."
Left-Side Hitter
Jane Collymore, SR, 6-0, Englewood, Colo.
Marcie Hampton, SO 6-1, Gainesville, Fla.
Kari Klinkenborg, SO, 6-2, Highlands Ranch, Colo.
A strength of the team, the Gators will continue a longstanding tradition of outstanding left-side hitters in 2005 and sport one of the nation's top starting tandems.
"Although not deep at the outside, we are returning two great players in that position," Wise said. "Jane and Marcie are asked to do a lot for us. This past summer, they faced some of the best players in the world. They are not the same players that played in 2004. Each season our goal is for the seniors to have their best year ever. Jane has positioned herself to do just that."
Jane Collymore became the seventh player in school history to earn at least two All-America honors when she was named to the AVCA Third Team in 2004. She won the SEC Player of the Year in continuing Florida's 10-year reign in claiming the award and broke several school records in 2004, including most kills (604), kills per game (5.03), points (707) and points per game (5.89) by a junior in UF history. Her incredible season saw Collymore rank in the school's single-season top 10 in 17 different categories and she followed by touring Asia with the USA National Team in the summer of 2005.
"Jane has become everything we had hoped she would when we first started recruiting her," Wise said. "With her elite level quickness and jumping ability she is able to do things on the court few college players can. Both she and our team will benefit from her experience this summer with USA Volleyball."
Marcie Hampton shed the adage that freshmen don't play at Florida and immediately stepped in with success as the squad's primary passer as a rookie in 2004. She was named to the SEC All-Freshman team after breaking the school freshman record with 354 digs and tying the record with 357 kills. Hampton also gained more international experience in the summer with stints playing for both the USA National Team and the Junior National Team.
"If we had a most improved player award for the spring, it would definitely go to Marcie," Wise said. "She is so much stronger now that she is able to make plays that she couldn't in the fall."
Kari Klinkenborg also saw significant action as a freshman, including stepping up in a fierce road-match at Georgia and coming up with several key plays. A versatile player, Klinkenborg is capable of playing anywhere on the front line.
"Kari provides us that invaluable ingredient of a player that can play more than one position," Wise said. "It's like having a utility player in baseball. Although Kari trained on the outside, she could also see time in the middle. Like all of our program's sophomores, we look for big improvements from Kari."
Middle Blocker
Kisya Killingsworth, 6-3, SO, Deltona, Fla.
Stefanie Douglas, 6-2, JR, Belton, Texas
Kari Klinkenborg, SO, 6-2, Highlands Ranch, Colo.
Kelsey Bowers, 6-2, FR, Gainesville, Fla.
Kristina Johnson, 6-2, FR, Indianapolis, Ind.
If a question mark exists on the Gator squad in 2005, then it would be in the middle where Florida graduated a pair of All-Americans. However, Florida does return two players with previous experience and the two incoming middles were ranked among the top prospects in the nation.
"One of our biggest challenges going into the 2005 season will be the play of the middle blockers," Wise said.
One spot is locked down as Kisya Killingsworth will move back to her natural position after filling in on the right-side as a freshman. Possessing one of the top vertical reaches on the team, Killingsworth is one of the most athletic Gators and displayed immense ability in 2004 in a position she had never played. Killingsworth trained with the USA National Team in the summer and is primed for a breakout season.
"Kisya played sparingly there last fall because of our needs at right-side," Wise said. "With a spring behind her, Kisya has a chance to be the next great Florida middle blocker."
The other starting spot will be up for grabs among several candidates. Junior Stefanie Douglas possesses the most experience having played in all but two matches in 2004. A natural middle, Douglas has battled injury problems in her two seasons.
"We recruited Stefanie to play middle, anticipating her to make an impact by her junior year," Wise said. "What we didn't anticipate was the injuries that would slow down her progress."
Klinkenborg could also see time in the middle, as could Florida's highly-touted freshman newcomers. Kelsey Bowers was ranked as high as the No. 5 player and the second-best middle blocker in the nation, while Kristina Johnson was a consensus top 50 national recruit as well.
"Both Kristina and Kelsey come to us with a huge upside, "Wise said. "Our primary focus for the class of 2005 was middles and we think we got two of the best. It will be fun to watch them develop alongside such talented players. I expect each to get playing time especially early in the season."
Right-Side Hitter
Amber McCray, SO, 6-0, Longview, Texas
Kari Klinkenborg, SO, 6-2, Highlands Ranch, Colo.
The Gators were put in a difficult position in 2004 when Amber McCray went down with a knee injury in the spring of 2004. But after extensive rehabilitation, McCray will rejoin the Gators at full-strength in 2005 and provide Florida with a weapon it lacked a season ago.
"It was a huge blow for our team to lose Amber to the knee injury," Wise said. "We didn't have a single player in the gym who had ever played right-side before. There are many athletes who never come back after suffering from an injury as severe as Amber's. Fortunately for us, Amber's work ethic and attention to detail have paid off. We now have a presence on the right-side."
A valuable and highly-touted left-hander, Amber McCray played sparingly as a freshman, appearing in 25 matches in Florida's 2003 championship match run.
Setter
Angie McGinnis, 5-11, SO, Fraser, Mich.
Christina Diaz, 5-6, FR, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Another strength for the Gators, Angie McGinnis has long been one of the nation's best setters in her age group and proved she was on par with nearly any floor leader in the country after her outstanding freshman campaign.
"It's difficult enough to start as a freshman, but to start as a freshman setter is even more so," Wise said. "Angie handled the responsibility with surprising maturity. She has proven herself to be one of the top setters in the country with her best volleyball still ahead of her."
The 2004 SEC Freshman of the Year, Angie McGinnis was also a second-team All-SEC pick after breaking the school record for assists per game by a freshman (11.03). An all-around threat on the floor, McGinnis ranked third on the team in blocks per game (0.83), fourth in digs (2.30), sixth in kills (101) and sported a hitting percentage of .422.
Christina Diaz possesses an impressive amount of athleticism and will serve as a valuable understudy to McGinnis.
"Christina will bring an energy and a work ethic to our gym that will be a real asset to our program," Wise said.
Libero
Rachel Engel, 5-6, JR, Littleton, Colo.
Rhian Davis, 5-7, JR, Austin, Texas
Another position that was in the air in 2004 has turned into a strength as Engel went from never playing libero to breaking the school record for digs in a few short months.
"Rachel was playing her best volleyball of the season when we got to December, " Wise said. "She has embraced the position and has a chance to be one of the league's best. Because Rachel brings such energy to the floor, she's playing the perfect position. She has a libero's mentality."
Rachel Engel broke the school record by registering 510 digs last season at a clip of 4.25 per game - also a UF record. She etched her name into the single-match record book as well by piling up 33 digs against Northern Iowa (second-most ever) and 32 against Georgia in a hard-fought SEC Tournament match (third-most ever).
Rhian Davis saw her playing time increase drastically from her freshman season as she continued to show progress. She tallied a career-best 17 digs at eventual Final Four participant Minnesota last season and will again be counted on.
"Rhian makes us better not only because of her foot speed and the balls she can keep from hitting the floor, but also because of the determination with which she plays," Wise said.
The Schedule
Never afraid of a difficult slate of opponents, 2005 will prove to be no different for the Gators. Florida will face 11 2004 NCAA Championship participants, six 2004 conference champions and nine teams that won at least 20 matches in 2004.
"We've always tried to schedule as competitive of teams as possible," Wise said. "We'll trade losses in September for a chance to get better. Risking failure is the only way to improve."
Florida's non-conference opponents sported a combined record of 271-145 (65.1 winning percentage) in 2004 and includes seven NCAA Championship teams from a season ago. The Gators will also have the benefit of playing in one of the most prestigious tournaments of the season when Florida travels to the site of the 2005 Final Four Sept. 9-11 and participates in the UTSA Dome Rally at the Alamo Dome in San Antonio. The Gators will face Texas A&M, Southern California and Notre Dame on successive days.
No stranger to hosting competitive tournaments, the Gators will battle several strong teams in the Aquafina Volleyball Classic Sept. 2-3 when UCSB, Missouri State and Dayton travel to Gainesville. Each squad won at least 20 matches in 2004 and both UCSB and Dayton made the NCAA Championship field.
And after Florida tackles the difficult non-conference slate, the Gators must journey through one of the most competitive editions of the SEC in conference history. Four teams participated in the NCAA Championship from the league last year in proving once again that Florida's feat of 14 straight SEC crowns is a remarkable accomplishment.
"In 14 years of coaching, there has never been the pre-season buzz about the SEC like there has been this summer," Wise said. "Not only did we get four teams into NCAAs last year, but three of those schools lost very little to graduation. The 2005 season has a chance to be the most competitive season in SEC history."
With a history that continues to grow in stature each and every season, the 2005 Gators will no doubt encounter numerous obstacles and challenges along the way. But, the puzzle pieces are certainly all on the table for Florida to make yet another patented run at an NCAA title again in 2005.
What's Back
Returning Graduated % Returning
Kills 1,305 654 66.6
Total Attempts 3,427 1,307 72.4
Assists 1,429 331 81.2
Service Aces 110 59 65.1
Digs 1,633 423 79.4
Block Solos 45 41 52.3
Block Assists 258 261 49.7
Points 1,589 884.5 64.2
