No. 1 Gators Go For First-Ever 20-0 SEC Season
Wednesday, November 24, 2010 | Volleyball
The No. 1 University of Florida volleyball team looks to become the first team in the history of the Southeastern Conference to record a perfect 20-0 league record when the Gators travel to Columbia, S.C, to take on the Gamecocks on Friday evening. Opening serve in the Volleyball Competition Facility is slated for 7 p.m. ET and the match will be carried live on WRUF Sports Radio 850 with Tom Collett.
The Gators (26-1, 19-0 SEC) will try for their 12th perfect conference season in program history and the first since the advent of the 20-match double round-robin scheduling format that began with the 2006 season. Florida's last undefeated league mark came in the 2003 season when the Gators went 16-0 in the SEC en route to an NCAA runner-up appearance.
Florida ranks among the nation's top-25 in three different team statistical categories, including ranking ninth in the country in hitting percentage with a .291 clip. The Gators also are 12th nationally in blocks per set with 2.75 rejections per frame and 23rd nationally in service aces per set with 1.62.
The Gators clinched the 2010 SEC Championship outright last Friday evening with a 3-1 win against Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark. Florida then defeated No. 16 LSU last Sunday afternoon to mark the team's 10th win this season against teams ranked in the AVCA top-25.
Offensively, the Gators are led by junior outside hitter Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Ill.), who is the only player to rank among the SEC's top-10 in hitting percentage, kills per set and service aces per set. She leads the conference with 0.36 service aces per set, is fifth in the league in hitting percentage with a .365 efficiency and ranks ninth in the league with 3.07 kills per set.
Senior outside hitter Callie Rivers (Winter Park, Fla.) is the reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Week, averaging 2.56 kills per set and ranking second on the team with 2.27 digs per set. Rivers also ranks fourth in the SEC in service aces per set with 0.30. Junior outside hitter Kristy Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) follows with 2.49 kills per set and is 10th in the SEC with 0.27 aces per set.
Freshman setter Chanel Brown (Tempe, Ariz.) leads the Gators with a squad-best 5.63 assists per set. In conference play only, she ranks eighth in the SEC with 6.03 dishes per set. Senior libero Erin Fleming (Orlando, Fla.) is eighth in the SEC with 3.63 digs per set.
Three Florida players average better than 0.95 blocks per set, led by junior middle blocker Cassandra Anderson (Bakersfield, Calif.), who is second in the SEC with 1.19 rejections per set. Senior middle blocker Lauren Bledsoe (Long Beach, Calif.) is fifth in the SEC with 1.08 blocks per set, and also ranks 20th in the nation in hitting efficiency with a .389 clip.
The Gators and Gamecocks meet for the 51st time in the history of the two programs. Florida leads the all-time series 43-7, including a 38-2 mark under Wise's direction. Thirty-two of UF's 43 victories in the all-time series have come in the form of 3-0 sweeps. The Gators took a 3-0 victory earlier this season on Oct. 27.
South Carolina enters Friday's regular-season finale with a 7-22 mark overall and a 4-15 clip in SEC play, as the Gamecocks currently are in last place in the SEC Eastern Division. Friday's match will mark the final match for seniors Jordan Bradosky, Megan Laughlin and Hannah Lawing, each of whom all started as freshmen.
The Gamecocks are led offensively by freshman outside hitter Juliette Thevenin, who leads South Carolina in kills per set with 3.63. She has led the team in kills on 19 occasions and will become just the fifth freshman since 1983 to lead her team in kills. Thevenin is fourth in the SEC (all matches combined) in kills per set.
Laughlin and freshman outside hitter Cara Howley follow with 2.47 and 2.36 kills per set, respectively. Sophomore setter Taylor Bruns is seventh in the SEC with 7.34 assists per set, while senior libero Hannah Lawing leads the SEC with 4.95 digs per set.
Complete results and a recap of Friday's match will be available on GatorZone.com.
For all of the latest information on Florida volleyball, please log on to www.GatorZone.com/volleyball. Follow Florida Volleyball on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GatorZoneVB and Coach Mary Wise on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GatorMary.
QUICK NOTES
· Florida will be looking to record its 12th perfect Southeastern Conference season in program history and the first since the advent of the 20-match double round-robin scheduling format that began with the 2006 season. Florida's last undefeated league mark came in 2003.
· The Gators have extended the nation's longest streak of consecutive 25-win seasons to 20.
· Florida is ranked No. 1 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Poll for a school-record seventh consecutive week and for the 12th time in program history. The Gators are 24-1 all-time when playing as the nation's top-ranked squad.
· UF's 629 victories since the start of the 1991 campaign lead the nation during that span.
· Head Coach Mary Wise is an impressive 305-12 (.962) vs. SEC regular-season opponents during her 20-year tenure with the Gators.
· The Gators rank among the nation's top-25 in three different statistical categories. Florida is ninth nationally in hitting percentage (.291), 12th nationally in blocks per set (2.75) and 23rd nationally in service aces per set (1.62).
· Florida is the only team to have three players rank among the league's top-10 individually in hitting percentage (all matches combined). Lauren Bledsoe (3rd - .389), Kelly Murphy (5th - .365), Cassandra Anderson (6th - .348) all are in the conference's top-10 in hitting efficiency.
· Bledsoe ranks 20th in the nation in hitting efficiency with a .389 clip.
· Murphy looks to become the 17th player in program history to reach the 1,000-kill plateau for her career. Murphy has 970 career kills and needs 30 more to reach 1,000. She currently ranks 18th all-time in program history in career kills.
· Senior libero Erin Fleming eclipsed the 600-dig plateau for her career on Nov. 11 vs. Mississippi State and now has 653 career scoops.
SEC VOLLEYBALL STANDINGS (AS OF NOV. 22, 2010)
Eastern Division
| Team | Overall | SEC |
| Florida | 26-1 | 19-0 |
| Tennessee | 23-6 | 14-5 |
| Kentucky | 17-12 | 11-8 |
| Georgia | 15-16 | 6-13 |
| South Carolina | 7-22 | 4-15 |
Western Division
| Team | Overall | SEC |
| LSU | 24-4 | 15-4 |
| Ole Miss | 19-10 | 13-7 |
| Auburn | 19-12 | 10-9 |
| Arkansas | 14-16 | 8-11 |
| Mississippi State | 11-19 | 3-16 |
| Alabama | 10-19 | 2-17 |
WEDNESDAY'S MATCHES
Mississippi State at Alabama – 5 p.m. ET
LSU at Arkansas – 8 p.m. ET
Auburn at Georgia – 7 p.m. ET
Kentucky at Tennessee – 7 p.m. ET
FRIDAY'S MATCHES
Florida at South Carolina – 7 p.m. ET
