No. 10/12 Gators Back on Road at Alabama Friday
Wednesday, October 28, 2009 | Volleyball
| GATOR MATCH-DAY VS. ALABAMA | |
| FLORIDA | ALABAMA |
The No. 10/12 University of Florida volleyball team returns to the road on Friday, when it travels to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for a re-match with Southeastern Conference Western Division rival Alabama. Opening serve in The CAVE is slated for 8 p.m. ET and the match will be carried live on ROCK 104 FM With Tom Collett.
Live statistics and a live chat (courtesy of CoverItLive) also will be available for Friday's match through www.GatorZone.com.
The Gators (16-3, 10-2 SEC) have swept four consecutive matches since dropping a 3-0 decision at LSU on Oct. 11. Florida has shined in its blocking effort as of late, as the Gators have out-blocked eight of their last nine opponents and, in the last nine matches combined, hold a blocking edge of +46.5.
As a team, Florida ranks first in the SEC in hitting percentage (all matches) with a .291 clip, while ranking second in kills per set (14.32), hitting efficiency defense (.177) and assists per set (13.19). In league matches only, the Gators rank second in blocks per set with 13.63.
The Gators' .291 team hitting efficiency mark currently ranks sixth among NCAA Division I teams, while their 14.32 kills per set is 11th in the nation.
“We now go on the road to play two teams that we played very well against at home,” Florida head coach Mary Wise said. “We understand that all of that changes when you play them on their home courts. Alabama is a good serving team, but they become a great serving team at home. That's what you face when you go on the road. Whether you win in three, four or five, any win on the road is a good win.”
Sophomore outside hitter Colleen Ward (Naperville, Ill.) leads the way for Florida offensively, ranking tops on the squad and eighth in the SEC with 3.21 kills per set. Sophomore right-side/setter Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Ill) follows with 3.12 put-downs per set, which ranks 10th in the SEC, and sophomore Kristy Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) adds 3.07 put-downs per set.
Murphy is the only player in the SEC to rank in the league's top 10 for hitting percentage (3rd - .360), assists per set (9th - 6.09) and kills per set (10th – 3.12). She is Florida's assists leader and hitting percentage leader.
Senior libero Elyse Cusack (Melrose, Fla.) last Friday became the first player in school history and just the third in SEC annals to eclipse the 1,900-dig plateau for her collegiate career. Cusack currently has 1,920 career scoops and needs 117 more to tie former Kentucky player Jenni Casper for second-place all-time in league history. This season, she ranks third in the SEC in digs per set with 4.21.
Sophomore middle blocker Cassandra Anderson (Bakersfield, Calif.) currently leads the team and ranks second in the SEC in blocks per set, averaging 1.26 rejections per frame. Anderson has posted four or more blocks in a match on 12 occasions already this season.
The Gators and Crimson Tide meet for the 32nd time in the history of the two programs with Florida leading the all-time series 31-0, including a 29-0 tally under Wise's direction. The Crimson Tide are one of four SEC opponents that Wise has never lost to during her Florida tenure.
Alabama enters Friday's match with a 6-16 overall record and a 4-8 mark in Southeastern Conference play. The Crimson Tide went 2-8 in non-conference action this season before winning four of their first five league contests. Since that time, however, Alabama has dropped seven consecutive matches, including losses on the road to Auburn and Georgia this past weekend.
Junior right-side Alyssa Meuth leads Alabama offensively with 2.95 kills per set on a squad-best .354 hitting percentage, which ranks fourth in the SEC. Sophomore outside hitter Ashley Frazier follows with 2.90 kills per set, while senior outside hitter Brooks Webster adds 2.11 put-downs per frame.
Freshman libero Kelsey Anderson leads the team defensively, averaging 3.18 digs per set. Sophomore middle blocker Sarah Machen contributes 0.83 blocks per set. Head coach Judy Green is in her 14th season at the helm of the Alabama program.
Complete results and a recap of Friday's match will be available at www.GatorZone.com.
For all of the latest information on Florida Volleyball, please log on to www.GatorZone.com/volleyball. Follow the Gators on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GatorZoneVB and Coach Mary Wise on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GatorMary.
The University of Florida is home to the 2009 NCAA Volleyball Regional. For ticket information, log on to www.GatorZone.com/tickets.
QUICK NOTES
- The Gators and Crimson Tide meet for the 32nd time in the history of the two programs with Florida leading the all-time series 31-0, including a 29-0 tally under the direction of head coach Mary Wise. The Crimson Tide are one of four SEC opponents that Wise has never lost to during her Florida tenure.
- Florida's 594 wins since 1991 are the most of any team in the nation during that time period.
- Sophomore right-side/setter Kelly Murphy is tied for the national lead in triple-doubles with five this season and has a school-record-setting 11 triple-dips for her career.
- Senior libero Elyse Cusack is the school's all-time digs leader with 1,920 career scoops. Last Friday against Arkansas, she became the first player in school history and just the third in SEC history to eclipse that milestone.
END OF REPORT
