Volleyball Closes Out Eastern Division Homestand on Wednesday
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 | Volleyball
The No. 8 Florida volleyball team closes out its three-match Southeastern Conference Eastern Division homestand on Wednesday when it plays host to South Carolina. Opening serve in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center is slated for 7 p.m. EDT and the match will be carried live on Sun Sports and WRUF-AM 850.
The Gators (14-1, 8-0 SEC) currently are the only team in the SEC with an undefeated league record and Florida is coming off weekend wins against No. 25 Kentucky and Tennessee. Freshman right-side/setter Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Ill.) led the way for UF in the five-set thriller against Kentucky with her third career triple-double, finishing with 11 kills, 25 assists and 10 digs. Murphy then finished with a team-high 12 kills against Tennessee in a 3-0 sweep on Sunday.
“This is the best South Carolina team that we have played in some time,” Florida head coach Mary Wise said. “We're playing a South Carolina team with a high-octane offense. They do such a good job transitioning from defense to offense. They may not be as big of a team as they have been in the past, but it is the best use of their talent, taking advantage of each player's strengths.”
Redshirt freshman outside hitter/right-side Kristy Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) leads the way for the Gators, averaging 3.61 kills per set, while Murphy follows with 3.09 put-downs per set on a squad-best .348 hitting percentage. Murphy has tallied seven consecutive double-doubles this season, including three triple-doubles during that span.
Junior libero Elyse Cusack (Melrose, Fla.), who ranks third in the SEC with 4.37 digs per set, moved up to fourth place on the school's all-time digs list with 1,358 career scoops. Cusack will likely move into sole possession of third place on the all-time list on Wednesday, as she needs just 14 more digs to surpass Rachel Engel (2002-05), who tallied 1,372 digs during her collegiate career.
Senior middle blocker Kelsey Bowers (Gainesville, Fla.) leads the team in blocking with 0.91 rejections per set and she has either led or tied for the team lead in that category in seven of the team's last eight matches.
Florida and South Carolina meet for the 46th time in the history of the two programs with the Gators leading the all-time series 38-7, including a 33-2 mark under the direction of Wise. Florida has won three consecutive matches against the Gamecocks and is 19-1 vs. South Carolina all-time when the match is played in Gainesville.
The Gamecocks enter Wednesday's match with a 14-3 record, including a 6-2 mark in the SEC. South Carolina is coming off a 3-0 loss to No. 25 Kentucky last Sunday in Columbia. After losing their first match of the season to Arizona State, the Gamecocks then ran off 10 consecutive victories and have only lost to the Wildcats and Ole Miss during the 2008 conference season.
Junior outside hitter Ivana Kujundzic leads the way for the Gamecocks and ranks third in the conference, averaging 3.77 kills per set on .270 hitting. She is also tops on the squad in aces with 18 and second in digs with 2.90 digs per set. Senior middle blocker Belita Salters is the most effective hitter in the SEC, holding a .429 hitting percentage, as she is the only player in the league to hit better than .400 on the season. Junior setter Bridget Denson-Dorman, a transfer from Connecticut, leads the league in assists per set with 10.59.
Complete results and a recap of Wednesday's match will be available at www.GatorZone.com.
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