Florida Volleyball Notebook - Sept. 1
Tuesday, September 2, 2008 | Volleyball
The Gators, who also were ranked No. 8 in the AVCA preseason poll, improved to 2-0 after winning matches against UAB and Pacific in the Aquafina Invitational in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
Upcoming Florida opponent Long Beach State, which the Gators will face at 5 p.m. EDT Saturday in the O'Connell Center, moved up one spot to No. 23 after wins against San Francisco, Indiana and Missouri State in a home tournament this past weekend.
Colorado State, which Florida will square off with in Fort Collins, Colo., on Saturday, Sept. 13, held steady at the No. 17 spot in the weekly poll. The Rams are 3-0 after claiming the Hilton Classic title last weekend with victories against Arkansas, Denver and Eastern Washington.
AVCA WEEK 1 POLL
1. Penn State (3-0)
2. Nebraska (2-0)
3. Stanford (1-1)
4. Texas (1-1)
5. California (2-0)
6. UCLA (2-1)
7. Southern Cal (0-2)
8. Florida (2-0)
9. Washington (2-0)
10. Wisconsin (3-0)
11. Hawai'i (1-2)
12. Minnesota (3-0)
13. Oregon (2-1)
14. Cal Poly (1-1)
15. Middle Tennessee (3-0)
16. BYU (3-0)
17. Colorado State (3-0)
18. Purdue (3-0)
19. Illinois (3-0)
20. Kansas State (2-1)
21. San Diego (3-0)
22. Wichita State (3-0)
23. Long Beach State (3-0)
24. LSU (2-1)
25. Michigan (3-0)
JAECKEL JOINS ELITE COMPANY WITH MVP HONOR
Redshirt Florida freshman Kristy Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) joined elite company on Saturday when she was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2008 Aquafina Invitational after stellar performances against UAB and Pacific.
Jaeckel became the first Florida freshman to earn MVP honors at a regular- season tournament since former All-America selection Aury Cruz was named the MVP of the Florida Volleyball Conference Challenge in 2000.
Jaeckel averaged 3.86 kills per set, a .345 hitting percentage and 4.78 points per set in matches against UAB and Pacific.
CUSACK MOVING UP CAREER DIGS LIST
Junior libero Elyse Cusack (Melrose, Fla.) is quickly working her way up the school's career digs list. Cusack, the fastest player in school and conference history to break the 1,000-dig mark, started the season ranked 10th on the all-time list with 1,122 career scoops.
Cusack has moved up two spots since starting the season and currently sits in sole possession of eighth place all-time with 1,150 career digs. She needs just 21 more digs to tie former Gator Meg Fitzgerald (1992-95) for seventh place on the all-time list.
1.) Lyra Vance (1984-87) - 1,444
2.) Marcie Hampton (2004-07) - 1,384
3.) Rachel Engel (2002-05) - 1,372
4.) Roni Armeda (1986-89) - 1,354
5.) Aury Cruz (2000-03) - 1,320
6.) Jenny Manz (1996-99) - 1,202
7.) Meg Fitzgerald (1992-95) - 1,171
8.) Elyse Cusack (2006-) - 1,150
9.) Jenni Keene (1994, 96-98) - 1,142
10.)Jane Collymore (2002-05) - 1,131
