VB Ranked No. 8 in Molten/Volleyball Magazine Preseason Poll
Friday, August 15, 2008 | Volleyball
The Florida volleyball team, coming off a 29-3 record and an NCAA Regional Semifinal appearance in 2007, was ranked No. 8 in the Molten/Volleyball Magazine 2008 Women's College Preseason Top 20. Junior libero Elyse Cusack (Melrose, Fla.) was named to Volleyball Magazine's 20 Players to Watch list, also in the magazine's September 2008 issue.
The magazine's top five teams include defending national champion Penn State (No. 1), national runner-up Stanford (No. 2), Southern Cal (tied for No. 3), Texas (tied for No. 3) and Nebraska (No. 5)
Florida's ranking marks the 12th year in a row that it has garnered a spot in the preseason top 10 of at least one of the major polls, a feat that only two other schools in the nation – Nebraska and Stanford – can claim.
The Gators are the only team in the Southeastern Conference to be ranked in the magazine's top-20 poll, although LSU is listed as receiving votes. The Gators will meet the Tigers on Sept. 21 in Gainesville and Oct. 24 in Baton Rouge. Another Florida opponent, Long Beach State, is ranked No. 20 in the poll. The Gators and LBSU meet at 5 p.m. on Sept. 6 in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Colorado State, which Florida will face Sept. 13 in Fort Collins, Colo., is also receiving votes.
Volleyball Magazine's Mike Miazga writes “The Gators graduated multi-time All-American setter Angie McGinnis, but still return three starters from last year's regional semifinalists (including standout libero Elyse Cusack). The main question here is how big of an impact will much-talked about freshmen Kelly Murphy and Colleen Ward make?”
Cusack was one of only two liberos (Washington's Tamari Miyashiro being the other) named the magazine's Top 20 Players to Watch list, which was organized alphabetically and without rank.
Cusack is coming off a stellar sophomore campaign that saw her named an honorable mention All-America selection by both the American Volleyball Coaches Association and Volleyball Magazine. She became the first libero in school history to earn All-America honors. She was a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Week honoree, making her the first player in league history to accomplish that feat in back-to-back weeks.
Cusack became the fastest player (56 matches) in both SEC and school history to reach the 1,000-dig mark and became just the second player in league history to do so as a sophomore. She was the only Gator in 2007 to play in each of the team's 109 games and finished the year ranked 10th all-time on the UF career digs list with 1,122.
Cusack was the 2006 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and is a two-time AVCA All-South Region honoree. Her 587 digs a year ago marked the second most in a single-season in school history.
The Gators begin their 2008 season by hosting the Aquafina Invitational in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Florida's first match is set for 7 p.m. on Aug. 29 when the Gators play host to UAB.
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