No. 9 Florida Volleyball Hosts Active Ankle SEC/ACC Challenge to Open 2011 Season
Friday, August 26, 2011 | Volleyball
The No. 9 University of Florida volleyball team opens the 2011 season at home on Friday as the Gators host the Active Ankle Challenge in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center this weekend. The SEC/ACC Challenge features the Gators and the Auburn Tigers of the SEC and the Boston College Eagles and the North Carolina Tar Heels of the ACC. Both matches will air live on WRUF-FM, 103.7 The Gator, with Tom Collett and former Gator All-SEC selection Missy Whittemore calling the action.
Tonight marks the first-ever meeting between Florida and Boston College. The Eagles return eight letterwinners from a year ago, including outside hitter Tsvetelina Dureva, senior libero Brennan Clark, junior middle hitter Krystle Higgins and sophomore setter Cagla Sen. Boston College went 9-24 in 2010, including 1-19 in ACC play, but second-year head coach Chris Campbell has built the program for a solid ACC run.
North Carolina, the Gators' opponent for Saturday evening, was predicted to finish third in the ACC this season, returning 10 letterwinners and three starters from a team that finished as the ACC runner-up in 2010. Libero Kaylie Gibson and outside hitter Emily McGee were named preseason All-ACC and Gibson is the reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year and a 2010 AVCA Honorable Mention All-American. The Gators are 10-1 all-time against the Tar Heels with the teams' last meeting in 2003, a three-set victory for the Gators.
Coming off a 20-0 SEC season, 29-2 overall, the Gators return 10 letterwinners and four starters from a year ago, including SEC Player of the Year and AVCA First Team All-American Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Ill.). Murphy was named Preseason All-SEC and was recently named as a candidate for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. She has 22 career triple-doubles, a school record, and 60 career double-doubles. She entered the 1,000 kill and 1,000 point clubs in her junior season and was the only player to rank among the SEC's top-10 individually in hitting percentage, kills per set and service aces per set.
Murphy was joined on the Preseason All-SEC Team by senior Kristy Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo). Jaeckel was Second Team All-SEC last fall and an AVCA Honorable Mention All-America selection. Jaeckel will look to enter the 1,000 kill club in her final season, having 926 for her career. Jaeckel has 15 career double-doubles and has played in every set the last two seasons as one of the Gators' starting pin hitters.
2010 Second Team All-SEC senior middle blocker Cassandra Anderson (Bakersfield, Calif.), 2010 SEC All-Freshman Team sophomore setter Chanel Brown (Tempe, Ariz.) and junior right-side Tangerine Wiggs (Seattle, Wash.) round out the remaining starters from a Florida squad that was No. 1 in the country for a school-record eight consecutive polls. The Gators also return redshirt freshman libero Taylor Unroe (Muncie, Ind.), who missed last season due to injury, and Hawaii transfer Stephanie Ferrell (Los Angeles, Calif.), who led the Rainbow Wahine to the 2009 NCAA semifinals and will be a powerhouse for the Gators.
Florida head coach Mary Wise enters her 21st season at the helm of the program, having directed the Gators to a nation-leading 632 wins since taking over prior to the start of the 1991 campaign. Wise has a record of 632-69 (.902) at Florida, the best winning percentage of any Division I volleyball program during that 20-year span. She has led the team to 19 SEC Championships and 20 NCAA Tournament appearances, including seven Final Fours. The Gators have a nation-leading streak of 20 consecutive 25-win seasons.
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GatorZone.com recently sat down with Wise to discuss her thoughts on the upcoming season:
Please discuss the impact this year's senior class has had on your program?
We are fortunate to have so many players with so much experience. They have played huge roles in winning 81 matches over the past three years. As a coach, you always want to have your seniors playing their best volleyball their last time around. This group has a shot to do that.
What are your goals and expectations for the 2011 team?
Our goals have remained constant over the years. First and foremost is to win the SEC. From there we want to be playing our best volleyball as we enter post season play.
How did the successes of last year's team help prepare you for success this season?
Last year we had some big early wins. Because of that we sort of vaulted to #1 by default. That meant we got everybody's best shot. That is nothing new for us here, but it did come with pressure. We hope that kind of experience will pay dividends this season.
Discuss Kelly Murphy and what you will see from her in her senior season?
Kelly is one of the best attackers to ever play at UF -- in part because of her arm speed, but also because of her vision. Few players see the court as well as Kelly. It's the skills other than hitting and setting that Kelly has improved on the most over the spring. She is a better blocker and defender, and her serve is at a point where we could see huge point runs when she rotates to the back row.
What is your outlook on the team's outside hitters and what does each OH bring to your team?
Any discussion about our outsides has to start with Kristy Jaeckel. She had a tremendous year but as a fifth year player, we will ask more from her -- both on and off the court. Her volleyball IQ combined with her work ethic make her a pleasure to coach. Stephanie Ferrell will get every chance to shine for us this season. She brings a big arm swing and a lot of emotion. We will need both this year. Hopefully, her time spent here this summer will pay off.
What is your outlook on the team's right-side hitters and what does each RS bring to your team?
Everybody knows about Kelly Murphy. Her play continues to improve as she develops her total game. However, the staff is really excited for our fans to see the improvement in Tangerine Wiggs game. Last year, she was in the early stages of her learning curve, but after a year on the court and a great spring season, we think she is ready to blossom into a complete player.
What is your outlook on the team's middle blockers and what does each MB bring to your team?
Our middles are sort of two ends of the spectrum: on one end, Cassandra Anderson is ready to have an All-American type of year. She combines a lot of experience with continued improvement. The other spot will be a battle between Betsy Smith and Chloe Mann. Both had good springs. Now both need to step it up when the lights are on.
What is your outlook on the team's setters and what does each bring to your team?
The beauty of our two setters is that it allows us to be multi-dimensional on offense. We played a lot of 6-2 last year thanks to a gritty freshman year by Chanel Brown. Now with a spring to improve, we will ask her to do more things. Kelly gives us great size at the net as a setter and improves our blocking. We will ask both setters to give us more on the defensive end this season.
What is your outlook on the team's libero/defensive specialist position and what does each L/DS bring to your team?
We are really excited about the depth we have with our libero/defensive specialists. Taylor Unroe will take over for Erin Fleming but she is going to get a lot of pressure from both our returning players and our freshmen in that spot. We need Sundai Weston and Elissa Hausmann to contribute whether that be serving or playing along the back row.
What do you expect the identity of your 2011 team to be?
We think a team's identity evolves as a season moves along. Yes, we have a number of seniors and we expect them to lead. But everyone else has to play their role. The only thing we demand is effort and energy. The rest will take care of itself.
What are your thoughts on the team's 2011 schedule?
Beyond the challenge of a double round-robin SEC schedule, our non-conference schedule will give us the opportunity to compete against NCAA-tournament teams. Florida State returns most of its highly talented team from a year ago, Iowa State and North Carolina are coming off of very successful seasons. The tournament that jumps out to everyone is the most prestigious tournament in the country: the NIKE Big Four. The event feels like an NCAA Final Four and playing against some of the best teams and players in the country will be great experience.
Discuss the impact the freshmen might have?
Holly Pole (Ocala, Fla.) has the advantage having graduated last December and spending the spring training with the team. She will help us both in serve receive and in backcourt defense. Simone Antwi (Lorton, Va.) will remind fans of a younger Benavia Jenkins. She has a huge up-side with her athletic talent. We ask a lot of our middle blockers in the system we run. The sooner Simone becomes comfortable in it, the sooner she will play. Noami Santos-Lamb (Carolina, Puerto Rico) comes to us with an extensive volleyball background. She is a true six-rotation outside hitter who can contribute both in the front row and back row. Madison Monserez (Orlando, Fla.) played for the highly successful Orlando Volleyball Club where former Gators Callie Rivers, Erin Fleming, and Sherri Williams all played. Maddy plays with the same high energy and enthusiasm of the others -- she just knows how to win. The freshmen all possess skills and talent but like any freshmen, there is a learning process that must take place to play at this level.
