Florida Volleyball Notebook - Dec. 28
Monday, December 29, 2008 | Volleyball
Heading into the 2008 season, much was made of Florida's switch to a 6-2 offense utilizing freshman setters Cindy Bathelt (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Ill.). Looking at the final numbers, the new offense was, by all indications, a success.
The Gators finished the season ranking second in the Southeastern Conference in assists per set with 12.51 as a team (all matches), and both setters finished the year averaging better than 5.5 assists per set. Bathelt finished the year with a squad-best 5.61 assists per set average, while Murphy added 5.50 assists per set.
Bathelt now ranks fourth all-time in school history in total assists by a freshman (623), while Murphy is fifth on that list (610). Combined, the duo averaged 11.1 assists per set, which would have set the school record for assists per set by a freshman had it been accomplished by a single freshman in a 5-1 offense.
On the season, three or more Gators recorded double-digit kills on nine occasions and three players – Murphy, redshirt freshman outside hitter Kristy Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) and freshman outside hitter Colleen Ward (Naperville, Ill.) averaged 2.30 kills per set on the year.
For the season, the Florida offense, directed by Bathelt and Murphy, finished with a .253 team hitting efficiency, which ranked second in the SEC. In the Gators' NCAA Tournament First Round match vs. Florida A&M, the Gators hit .451 and out-hit the Rattlers .451-.165. The hitting efficiency eclipsed Florida's previous NCAA Tournament single-match hitting percentage of .440 set on Dec. 6, 2002 against Central Florida.
ASSISTS BY A FRESHMAN IN FLORIDA SCHOOL HISTORY
1. Lenee Hill (1987) 1,274
2. Angie McGinnis (2004) 1,269
3. Heidi Anderson (1989) 703
4. Cindy Bathelt (2008) 623
5. Kelly Murphy (2008) 610
6. Beth Blythe (1984) 186
7. Rachel Engel (2002) 181
8. Jen Sanchez (1996) 155
9. Lyra Vance (1983) 142
10. Missy Aggertt (1992) 109
ASSISTS PER GAME BY A FRESHMAN
(N/A) Bathelt and Murphy (2008) 11.1
1. Angie McGinnis (2004) 11.03
2. Lenee Hill (1987) 8.44
3. Heidi Anderson (1989) 6.83
4. Cindy Bathelt (2008) 5.61
5. Kelly Murphy (2008) 5.50
6. Jen Sanchez (1996) 3.78
7. Rachel Engel (2002) 2.45
8. Beth Blythe (1984) 1.92
9. Lyra Vance (103) 1.38
10. Lauren Moscovic (2001) 0.51
The University of Florida is home of the 2009 NCAA Volleyball Regionals. For more information on Gator Volleyball, log on to www.GatorZone.com.
END OF REPORT
