No. 5/5 Gators Host Alabama on Sunday in Battle of SEC Unbeatens
Saturday, September 26, 2009 | Volleyball
It will be a battle of Southeastern Conference unbeatens on Sunday in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center when the No. 5/5 Florida volleyball team squares off with Alabama. Opening serve is slated for 1:30 p.m. ET and the match will be carried live on GatorVision Online and ROCK 104 with Tom Collett and Missy Whittemore.
Those who are fans of the official UF Athletics Facebook page (www.facebook.com/FloridaGators) can print off a coupon for 2-for-1 admission for Sunday's match. Gator fans also are encouraged to support the local food bank and help the SEC Together WeCAN initiative by donating canned goods at Sunday's match.
The Gators (9-1) and Crimson Tide (5-8) each enter Sunday's match with perfect 3-0 records in SEC play. Florida is coming off a 3-0 sweep of Mississippi State on Friday night in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, while Alabama captured a thrilling five-set victory at South Carolina on Friday.
Florida was led by sophomore right-side/setter Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Ill.) on Friday night, as Murphy turned in a match-high 12 kills on .476 hitting with a match-high 28 assists and seven digs for 14.0 total points, while sophomore outside hitter Colleen Ward (Naperville, Ill.) added 11 kills, a match-high three service aces and seven digs.
On the season, Ward leads the Gators and ranks sixth in the SEC with 3.42 kills per set, while sophomore outside hitter Kristy Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) and Murphy follow with 2.97 and 2.87 kills per set, respectively.
Senior libero Elyse Cusack (Melrose, Fla.) heads the team's defensive effort and ranks third in the SEC with 4.34 digs per set, while sophomore middle blocker Cassandra Anderson (Bakersfield, Calif.) is fourth in the SEC with 1.13 blocks per set.
The Gators and Crimson Tide meet for the 31st time in the history of the two programs with Florida leading the all-time series 30-0, including a 28-0 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. The two squads last met Nov. 23, 2008 – a 3-0 Gator win on the team's 2008 Senior Day in the O'Connell Center.
Alabama struggled through a 2-8 non-conference record before opening league play on a tear. The Crimson Tide have posted wins against Georgia, Auburn and South Carolina in their last three matches. Alabama is led by reigning Southeastern Conference Player of the Week and Collegiate Volleyball Update (CVU.com) National Player of the Week Ashley Frazier.
Last weekend, Frazier had a career weekend, combining for 31 kills on .371 hitting in wins against Georgia and Auburn. She notched a pair of double-doubles on the weekend to give her five double-dips on the year. In conference matches only, Frazier is averaging 4.00 kills per set, which ranks second in the league.
On the season, Frazier averages 2.94 kills per set, while junior right-side Alyssa Meuth follows with 2.76 kills per set and leads the SEC in hitting percentage with a .387 clip. Junior middle blocker Calli Johnson ranks seventh in the conference with 1.06 blocker per set, while junior setter Kayla Schmidt dishes out a squad-best 5.49 assists per set.
Complete results and a recap of Sunday'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.
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