Top-Five Showdown Set at Tampa Twice Tournament Saturday
Saturday, September 12, 2009 | Volleyball
It will be a national top-five showdown tonight in the Tampa Twice Tournament as the No. 4/4 Florida volleyball team squares off with No. 3/3 Washington in the Sun Dome. Opening serve is set for 6 p.m. ET and the match will be carried live on WRUF-AM 850 with Tom Collett and Missy Whittemore.
The Gators (6-0) posted a 3-1 win against host South Florida last night in front of a hostile crowd in the Sun Dome. Florida was led by outside hitters Kristy Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) and Colleen Ward (Naperville, Ill.), who combined for 29 kills and 21 digs in the victory.
Senior libero Elyse Cusack (Melrose, Fla.) moved up to No. 4 on the Southeastern Conference's all-time career digs list, finishing with a match-high 17 digs in Friday evening's contest to increase her career total to 1,730.
“We know that Washington is a great team and it's a good opportunity for us to play another quality opponent,” Cusack said. “It will be a battle.”
On the season, Florida is led by Ward, who ranks fifth in the SEC with an average of 3.50 kills per set. Jaeckel follows with 3.04 kills per set, which ranks ninth in the league. Junior right-side Lauren Bledsoe (Long Beach, Calif.), who registered 11 kills on Friday night, leads the SEC in hitting percentage with a .447 clip.
Florida and Washington meet for the second time in the history of the schools with the Gators leading the all-time series 1-0. UF pulled off a 3-0 win in Orlando against the Huskies during the 1998 season.
Washington enters Saturday's match with a perfect 7-0 record, having dispatched No. 9 Minnesota in three sets last night in the opening match of the Tampa Twice Tournament. The Huskies have swept every opponent that it has faced this season. Senior outside hitter Jill Collymore, the sister of former Gator All-American and current U.S. National Team member Jane Collymore, led the way for Washington with a match-high 15 kills.
For the season, the Huskies are led by junior outside hitter Becky Perry, who averages 3.25 kills per set, while Collymore follows with 3.22 kills per set. Senior libero Tamari Miyashiro heads the team's defensive effort, averaging a squad-best 4.33 digs per set, with redshirt freshman middle blocker Kelcey Dunaway posting 1.33 blocks per set.
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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