Volleyball Faces Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Friday
Thursday, October 2, 2008 | Volleyball
The No. 10/10 Florida volleyball team continues its four-match road swing this weekend when it travels to Alabama and Mississippi State for a pair of matches. The Gators and Crimson Tide meet at 8 p.m. EDT Friday in Tuscaloosa, while UF faces the Bulldogs at 2:30 p.m. EDT in Starkville.
The Gators (10-1, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) are one of only two teams that are undefeated in league play, as Florida and Kentucky are the only two undefeated SEC squads. The Gators posted road wins this past weekend at Arkansas and Ole Miss, as freshman right-side/setter Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Ill.) became just the second player in school history to notch a triple-double on Friday against Arkansas when she charted a career-high 15 kills on .619 hitting with 18 assists and a career-high 10 digs.
“Alabama is a team that historically has played very well at home and one of the reasons is because they put a huge emphasis on serving,” Florida head coach Mary Wise said. “It's another SEC facility that's a little smaller and the crowd is close. They've done a great job of building a fan base and it has become a really tough place to win.”
Murphy became just the seventh player in school history to earn a National Player of the Week award when she was named both the Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week and the College Volleyball Update National Player of the Week on Tuesday for her performances against Arkansas and Ole Miss in the first SEC road weekend of her career.
Redshirt freshman outside hitter/right-side Kristy Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) leads the way for the Gators, averaging 3.69 kills per set on .306 hitting. She ranks third in the SEC in kills per set and is first in the league in kills per set in conference matches only, averaging 3.93 put-downs per set in league contests. Murphy and freshman outside hitter Colleen Ward (Naperville, Ill.) follow with 2.95 and 2.58 kills per set apiece.
Junior libero Elyse Cusack (Melrose, Fla.), who ranks sixth on Florida's all-time digs list, leads the team and ranks second in the SEC in digs per set, averaging 4.38 scoops per set. In league matches alone, she is recording 5.14 digs per set.
Alabama and Mississippi State are two teams that the Gators have never lost to in the history of the two programs. Florida is 28-0 all-time vs. the Crimson Tide and 32-0 against the Bulldogs.
Alabama enters Friday night's match with an 8-4 record, including a 1-2 mark in SEC play. The Crimson Tide picked up their first league win last Friday night when they defeated in-state rival Auburn, 3-1. Alabama is in the midst of a three-match homestand.
The Crimson Tide are one of the top serving teams in the league, averaging 1.70 service aces per set. Sophomore defensive specialist Mary Catherine Aune leads the SEC with 0.60 aces per set. Senior libero Amy Pauly ranks fifth in the SEC in aces with 0.36 per set.
Pauly also ranks sixth in the SEC in digs with 3.80 digs per set, making her and Cusack the only two players to rank in the league's top 10 in both digs and service aces. Redshirt junior outside hitter Brooks Webster ranks second in the conference in kills per set with 3.80, while sophomore setter Lauren Martin is fourth in assists with 9.41 dishes per set.
Complete results and a recap of Friday's match will be available at www.GatorZone.com.
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