Gators Entertain FSU on Monday in Rivalry Match
Sunday, August 30, 2009 | Volleyball
The No. 8/9 Florida volleyball team looks to record its 18th consecutive victory against intra-state rival Florida State on Monday when the two teams square off in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Opening serve is set for 7 p.m. ET and the match will be carried live on Sun Sports with Larry Vettel and Missy Whittemore and WRUF-AM 850 with Tom Collett.
Fans can gain 2-for-1 admission to Monday's match by clicking here.
The Gators (2-0) swept through the Campus USA Credit Union Invitational this weekend with 3-0 wins against both UNLV and Colorado. Sophomore right-side/setter Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Ill.) was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, while sophomore outside hitters Kristy Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) and Colleen Ward (Naperville, Ill.) each were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Florida has won 17 consecutive matches against Florida State, including a 3-0 victory in Tallahassee last season. The teams will meet for the 48th time in the history of the two programs – the third-longest rivalry in Florida annals.
“This is one of the best Florida State teams we've played in years,” Florida head coach Mary Wise said. “FSU has a lot of players returning. Four years ago, they had a great recruiting class and those players are now seniors. This is a team that we could easily see twice – meaning once this Monday and then later in the NCAA Tournament. I hope our fans ignore the recent past in this series because this will be one of the toughest matches we have all year.”
Murphy leads the Gators with an average of 4.50 kills per set on a squad-best .452 hitting. Ward and Jaeckel follow with 3.67 kills per set apiece. Junior setter Brynja Rodgers (Iowa City, Iowa) is averaging a team-high 6.67 assists per set, while senior libero Elyse Cusack (Melrose, Fla.) leads the defensive effort with 3.67 digs per set.
“I think with Florida State being an in-state rivalry, it brings a lot of energy to the match,” Jaeckel said. “We just need to stay focused and play our game.”
Florida holds a 31-16 advantage against Florida State in the all-time series, including a 24-2 mark under Wise's direction. The Gators have had great success against Sunshine State schools in program history, as UF is 108-20 (.843) all-time vs. in-state schools, including 60-2 (.967) under Wise. The Gators are 17-0 against Florida schools over the past six seasons and haven't lost to an in-state school since 1994 – that's nearly 15 years of perfect records against in-state schools.
The Seminoles enter Monday's match with a 3-0 record, having captured the Florida State Invitational crown this past weekend with victories against Central Michigan, North Dakota State and Florida A&M.
Sophomore outside hitter Rachael Morgan was named the Most Valuable Player of the FSU Invitational, averaging 2.36 kills per set on .368 hitting. Senior outside hitter Mira Djuric leads the team with 2.64 kills per set, while senior middle blocker Brianna Barry follows with 2.55 kills per set on a squad-best .467 hitting efficiency. Junior libero Jenna Romanelli heads the defensive effort with 4.64 digs per set.
Chris Poole is in his second season as the head coach at Florida State after serving as the first coach in Arkansas history from 1994-2007. The Seminoles went 21-9 in 2008, finished fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference and just missed an NCAA Tournament appearance.
Complete results and a recap of Monday's match will be available at www.GatorZone.com.
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The University of Florida is home to the 2009 NCAA Volleyball Regional. For ticket information, log on to www.GatorZone.com/tickets.
FLORIDA VOLLEYBALL'S SUNSHINE STATE SUCCESS
| School | Overall | Wise | Last 5 Years |
| Central Florida | 17-0 | 5-0 | 2-0 |
| Florida Atlantic | 2-0 | 2-0 | 1-0 |
| Florida A&M | 8-0 | 5-0 | 4-0 |
| Florida International | 4-0 | 2-0 | 0-0 |
| Florida Southern | 3-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Florida State | 31-16 | 24-2 | 5-0 |
| Jacksonville | 14-0 | 7-0 | 2-0 |
| Rollins | 1-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| South Florida | 27-3 | 15-0 | 3-0 |
| Tampa | 1-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Total | 108-20 (.843) | 60-2 (.967) | 17-0 (1.000) |
QUICK NOTES
- Florida leads the all-time series with Florida State 31-16 and has won 17 consecutive meetings with the Seminoles.
- The Gators are 59-21 all-time vs. teams in the current alignment of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
- Senior libero Elyse Cusack needs four more digs to move into the SEC's all-time top-five for career digs. She currently has 1,656 scoops and needs four more to surpass Arkansas' Krystal Osborne (1994-97) for fifth-place all-time.
- Sophomore right-side/setter Kelly Murphy was the MVP of the Campus USA Credit Union Invitational and has notched 23 career double-doubles and six triple-doubles.
- Florida's 580 wins since 1991 are the most of any team in the nation during that time period.
END OF REPORT
