Murphy Named SEC Freshman of the Year; Four Gators All-SEC
Tuesday, December 2, 2008 | Volleyball
Freshman Florida right-side/setter Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Ill.) was named the 2008 Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year to highlight a quartet of Gators earning All-SEC recognition, announced by the league office in Birmingham, Ala., on Monday.
Murphy, who also was named to the All-SEC First Team and the All-Freshman team, became the first Florida player since Aury Cruz in 2000 to be named the league's Freshman of the Year. Junior libero Elyse Cusack (Melrose, Fla.) was named to the All-SEC second team, while redshirt freshman outside hitter Kristy Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) and freshman outside hitter Colleen Ward (Naperville, Ill.) each were named to the All-Freshman Team.
Murphy, 6-foot-2, who broke Florida's career record for triple-doubles just 27 matches into her collegiate career, led the team and ranked sixth in the SEC in kills per set with 3.45 and was third in hitting percentage with a .368 clip (league matches only). In conference action, she led the Gators in total points (293.0) and points per set (3.96). She also ranked second on the team in assists per set (5.51), service aces per set (0.24) and digs per set (1.93) during SEC play.
Murphy, who played every point of every rotation for the Gators, recorded a double-double in 17 of the team's 20 conference matches (kills/assists), with five triple-doubles during that span. She put together a string of 12 consecutive double-doubles at one point during the SEC schedule with three triple-doubles included in that streak.
Murphy is a three-time SEC Freshman of the Week selection (9/29, 10/6, 12/1), who on Sept. 29, 2008 became just the second player in league history to be named both Offensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week simultaneously.
Murphy dished out double-digit assists in each of the team's 20 league matches as part of the team's 6-2 offensive scheme. She eclipsed the 20-assist plateau in 10 conference matches, including a career-high 35 assists at Alabama on Oct. 3. She helped direct a Florida offense that led the SEC in hitting percentage in conference matches only with a .258 clip. Murphy herself hit better than .500 in six conference matches and recorded six of the team's top-10 individual hitting efficiency marks during the SEC season.
Cusack, 5-foot-9, was a four-time SEC Defensive Player of the Week selection in 2008, marking the first time in league history that a player has claimed that award on four different occasions during a single season. She became the first player in school history to eclipse the 1,600-dig mark for her career.
Against Ole Miss on Oct. 31, 2008, Cusack broke the Florida school record for career digs, shattering Lyra Vance's nearly 21-year-old record. She averaged a squad-best 4.91 digs per set, recording double-figure digs in 19-of-20 league contests. Cusack also led the team in service aces with 0.32 per set in conference matches.
She ranked second in the SEC in digs per set (conference matches only) and was fourth in service aces, making her the only player to rank in the league's top five in both digs and service aces. Cusack, who played in each of the team's 74 sets during conference play, currently ranks seventh on the SEC's all-time career digs list.
Cusack eclipsed the 20-dig plateau on nine occasions during SEC play, including a season-high 38 digs at Georgia - the second-highest dig total of her collegiate career. She was critical in stabilizing the team's passing efforts, charting nine matches during league play with a perfect 1.000 reception percentage.
Jaeckel, a two-time SEC Freshman of the Week selection, ranked second on the team in kills per set with 2.87 in league matches only and was second in points with 223.0. She also averaged 1.26 digs per set and 0.45 blocks per set in league action.
Jaeckel, 6-foot-2, tallied double-digit kills in 10 of Florida's 20 league matches, including 19 kills on .326 hitting in the team's road win at Ole Miss on Sept. 28. She hit better than .400 in four SEC matches during the season.
Ward, a two-time SEC Freshman of the Week selection, ranked third on the team in kills per set with 2.31 in league matches only. She registered double-digit kills in six SEC matches and recorded double-digit points in 10 of the team's 20 SEC matches.
Ward, 6-foot-2, hit better than .400 in five conference matches, including a .636 mark at Auburn on Oct. 17, 2008. She helped stabilize the team's passing efforts, registering 11 league matches with a perfect 1.000 reception percentage.
Florida captured its 18th consecutive SEC title in 2008, the longest consecutive streak of NCAA Division I volleyball conference championships in the sport's history. The Gators (25-3) also posted 25 victories on the season, marking the 18th consecutive season that UF has tallied 25 or more wins. Florida holds the nation's longest streak of 25-win seasons. Head coach Mary Wise has now led 45 players to 91 All-SEC honors during her time in Gainesville.
The Gators return to action on Friday, when they play host to Florida A&M in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Opening serve in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center is slated for 7:30 p.m. EST and the match will be carried live on WRUF-AM 850 with Tom Collett and Missy Whittemore.
For all of the latest information on Florida volleyball, please log on to www.GatorZone.com.
2008 SEC VOLLEYBALL AWARDS
Player of the Year: Sarah Rumely, Kentucky
Defensive Player of the Year: Elena Martinez, LSU
Freshman of the Year: Kelly Murphy, Florida
Coach of the Year: Rob Patrick, Tennessee
FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC
Brooks Webster, Alabama
Kelly Murphy, Florida
Queen Nzenwa, Kentucky
Sarah Rumely, Kentucky
Britnee Cooper, LSU
Belita Salters, South Carolina
* Nikki Fowler, Tennessee
SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC
Jessica Glover, Auburn
Elyse Cusack, Florida
* Maria Taylor, Georgia
Sarah Mendoza, Kentucky
Lauren Rapp, Kentucky
Elena Martinez, LSU
Rachel Kieckhaefer, Ole Miss
SEC ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Kristy Jaeckel, Florida
Kelly Murphy, Florida
Colleen Ward, Florida
Kathleen Gates, Georgia
* Becky Pavan, Kentucky
* Michele Williams, LSU
Regina Thomas, Ole Miss
* - Indicates unanimous selection
END OF REPORT
