No. 9/11 Volleyball Faces Border-Rival Georgia Friday
Friday, November 6, 2009 | Volleyball
Boasting a streak of six consecutive sweeps, the No. 9/11 University of Florida volleyball team returns home to the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on Friday to play host to border-rival Georgia. Opening serve is slated for 7 p.m. ET and the match will be carried live on GatorVision Online and ROCK 104 FM with Tom Collett and Missy Whittemore.
Friday's match is Palatka and Starke Community night as residents of either community receive free admission to the match by showing a valid Driver's License to the marketing table at Gate 1. The first 500 fans receive Gator sunglass chords at Friday's match. Additionally, it's Star Student Night and kids, eighth grade and under, who bring their school report card receive free admission for one adult. Fans that bring $5 worth of school supplies receive free admission. All school supplies will be donated locally.
The Gators (18-3, 12-2 Southeastern Conference) lead the SEC and rank sixth in the nation in hitting percentage with a .288 clip. Florida also is 11th in the nation in kills per set (14.53) and 14th in assists per set (13.35).
“I think in Georgia, we face a team that's playing really well right now, having won three of their last four,” Florida head coach Mary Wise said. “Having watched their matches on video shows much they have improved since we played them just a few weeks ago. It's another good weekend for SEC volleyball.”
Offensively, Florida is led by three players who average better than 3.0 kills per set. Sophomore outside hitter Colleen Ward (Naperville, Ill.) ranks eighth in the SEC with 3.19 kills per set, while Kristy Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) is ninth in the league with 3.18 kills per set. Sophomore right-side/setter Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Ill.) is 10th in the conference with 3.15 put-downs per set.
Murphy is the only player in the conference to currently rank in the league's top 10 in hitting efficiency, kills per set and assists per set. Murphy leads all NCAA Division I players this season with seven triple-doubles, including a pair of triple-doubles both coming in three-set sweeps this past weekend. In SEC matches only, Murphy leads the conference with a .412 hitting efficiency.
Senior libero Elyse Cusack (Melrose, Fla.) has 1,958 career digs, which ranks third all-time in SEC history. Cusack needs 79 more scoops to tie former Kentucky standout Jenni Casper for second place all-time in league annals. This season, Cusack ranks third in the conference with 4.38 digs per set.
The Gators and Bulldogs meet for the 58th time in the history of the two programs – the longest-running rivalry in UF school history. Florida holds a 48-9 advantage in the all-time series, including a 45-1 mark under Wise's direction. The two teams split the season series in 2008 with each team winning on its home court.
The Bulldogs enter Friday's match in fifth place in the SEC East with a 14-10 overall record and a 5-8 mark in league play. Georgia has won three of its last four matches and, in each of those four matches, junior outside hitter Erika Clark has turned in a double-double. Clark has 10 double-doubles on the 2009 campaign, including four consecutive. The Bulldogs are the strongest serving team in the SEC, averaging 1.44 service aces per set.
Junior Valentina Gonzalez is tied for first in the SEC (all matches) with 0.37 aces per set, while freshman Nicole Choi is eighth in the league with 0.29 aces per set. Gonzalez also ranks fifth in the SEC in hitting percentage with a .340 clip and is second on her team with 2.49 per set. Clark is the team's kill leader with 3.06 per set. Sophomore setter Kathleen Gates is third in the conference in assists per set with 9.93, while sophomore middle blocker Ann Dylla ranks sixth in the conference with 1.09 blocks per set.
Complete results and a recap of Friday's match will be available at www.GatorZone.com/volleyball.
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 Bulldogs meet for the 58th time in the history of the two programs – the longest-running rivalry in UF school history. Florida holds a 48-9 advantage in the all-time series, including a 45-1 mark under head coach Mary Wise. The two teams split the season series in 2008 with each team winning on its home court.
- Florida's 596 wins since 1991 are the most of any team in the nation during that time period.
- Sophomore right-side/setter Kelly Murphy leads the nation in triple-doubles with seven this season, including a pair of triple-dips last weekend in three-set wins at Alabama and Mississippi State.
- Murphy holds Florida's school career record for triple-doubles with 13. The NCAA does not keep any official records regarding the most individual career triple-doubles.
- Senior libero Elyse Cusack is the school's all-time digs leader with 1,958 career scoops. She is first player in school history and just the third in SEC history to eclipse that milestone. Cusack needs 79 more digs to tie former Kentucky standout Jenni Casper for second place all-time in league annals.
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