No. 13 Volleyball Heads North for Decisive SEC Weekend
Friday, November 20, 2009 | Volleyball
The No. 13/13 University of Florida volleyball team looks to bounce back from a loss to top-25 foe LSU this weekend when it travels north for a pair of decisive Southeastern Conference matches at Tennessee and No. 10 Kentucky. This weekend's results will add clarity to one of the most competitive SEC races in league history.
Friday's opening serve is set for 7 p.m. ET in Knoxville's Thompson-Boling Arena and the match will be carried live on WRUF-AM 850 with Tom Collett. Sunday's match is slated for a 2 p.m. ET start in Lexington's Memorial Coliseum. That match will be aired live on SEC-TV/FS South with Dave Baker and Phil Bush and on WRUF-AM 850 with Collett.
A live chat of both matches will be available at www.GatorZone.com/coveritlive.
This weekend will feature match-ups of the top three teams in the SEC Eastern Division as second-place Florida (20-4, 14-3) will face first-place Kentucky (26-2, 16-1) and third-place Tennessee (20-7, 13-4). LSU (22-5, 16-2) has already clinched the SEC Western Division.
“Coming up this weekend, we have Tennessee and Kentucky on the road,” Florida head coach Mary Wise said. “Tennessee always plays well late in the season and at home, and Friday night will be a huge match. Sunday we play Kentucky and everybody in the league is still chasing them. They're now at 26 wins on the year. We knew going into the 2009 season that the toughest part of our schedule would be at the end, but we still think our best match is in front of us. We haven't put together that key match where everybody plays well.”
The Gators boast the fifth-best hitting percentage in the nation heading into this weekend's matches with a .292 efficiency clip. Florida leads the league in hitting percentage, while ranking second in kills per set (14.45), assists per set (13.27) and service aces per set (1.27).
Sophomore outside hitter Kristy Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) leads the way for the Gators offensively, averaging a squad-best 3.26 kills per set, which ranks eighth in the SEC. Jaeckel, who had a team-high 18 kills last Friday night against LSU, has charted double-figure kill totals in 19 of 24 contests this year. Sophomore outside hitter Colleen Ward (Naperville, Ill.) follows with 3.14 kills per set, which ranks ninth in the SEC.
Sophomore right-side/setter Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Ill.) ranks second in the SEC in hitting percentage with a .366 clip and is first in the conference in league matches only with a .416 efficiency. Murphy also ranks ninth in the SEC with a squad-best 6.40 assists per set.
Senior libero Elyse Cusack (Melrose, Fla.) eclipsed an important milestone last Friday night, becoming the first player in Florida school history and just the third in SEC history to reach 2,000 career digs. Cusack, who averages 4.36 digs per set this season, needs just 37 more scoops to tie former Kentucky player Jenni Casper for second-place all-time in conference annals.
The Gators and Lady Vols meet for the 49th time in the history of the two programs - tied for the third-longest rivalry in UF school history. Florida leads the all-time series 40-8, including a 36-3 mark under Wise's direction.
Tennessee enters Friday night's match with a 20-7 overall record and a 13-4 mark in SEC play. The Lady Vols are currently in third place in the SEC East and in fourth place in the overall league standings. In its final road trip of the 2009 regular season last weekend, Tennessee split a pair of five-set matches, falling to Auburn on Friday before rebounding with a victory over Georgia two days later. With the win against the Bulldogs, the Lady Vols reached the 20-win mark for the second consecutive season, seventh time in the last 10 years and 18th time in school history.
Junior outside hitter Nikki Fowler is the reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Week and currently ranks fifth in the SEC with an average of 3.72 kills per set. Fowler tallied a pair of double-doubles in last weekend's matches, her 10th and 11th consecutive. Sophomore setter Kelsey Mahoney ranks 10th in the SEC with 6.29 assists per set as part of the team's 6-2 offensive scheme. Senior libero Chloe Goldman is the SEC leader in digs per set this season with 4.67.
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.
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