Undefeated No. 9 Gators Face Unbeaten No. 19 Iowa State on Television for Second Consecutive Year
Sunday, September 4, 2011 | Volleyball
The seven-match homestand for the No. 9 Gator volleyball team ends on Labor Day as Florida hosts No. 19 Iowa State on Monday for its first televised match of the season. Opening serve is set for 2 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on tape delay at 8 p.m. via Sun Sports with longtime play-by-play announcer Tom Collett and former Gator All-SEC setter Missy Whittemore adding color commentary. The broadcast will also be available on Sportsradio 850 with Cory Stephens on the call.
Florida is coming off six consecutive three-set sweeps to open the season, capturing both the Active Ankle SEC/ACC Challenge and the Campus USA Credit Union Invitational titles. Outside hitters Stephanie Ferrell (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Kristy Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) were named the Tournament MVPs, respectively.
Senior right-side/setter Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Ill.) and redshirt freshman libero Taylor Unroe (Muncie, Ind.) were named to both all-tournament teams along with Jaeckel, while sophomore setter Chanel Brown (Tempe, Ariz.) was named to the Campus USA All-Tournament Team.
The Gators lead the SEC in hitting percentage (.317) and opponent hitting percentage (.052) heading into Monday's match, while ranking second in service aces (2.33/set) and third in blocks (2.28/set). Murphy is second in the conference in hitting percentage, averaging a .443 hitting clip this fall, while posting .56 service aces a set, good for third in the SEC. Murphy also owns the first triple-double of 2011, with 12 kills, 10 digs and 17 assists against Florida State on August 30th.
Another bright spot for the Gators is the home crowd advantage. Florida has been averaging 3,323 fans per game, including the 4,631 Florida fans who came to support the Orange and Blue against the Florida State Seminoles, featuring a program-record student attendance of 1,901.
Florida is undefeated against Iowa State, 3-0, with the most recent matchup between the Gators and the Cyclones coming last fall in the Runza/AVCA Showcase in Omaha, Neb. Then-No. 13 Florida won in four sets to upset then-No. 9 Iowa State, 3-1 (25-22, 25-21, 10-25, 25-20).
The Gators are 105-80 (.568) all-time vs. teams ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association top-25 poll and were 10-2 last season against ranked foes, including wins against No. 2 Nebraska, No. 5 Texas, No. 9 Iowa State, No. 15 Colorado State, No. 18 Tennessee, No. 13 Florida State, No. 16 LSU. The Gators' only two losses in 2010 came at the hands of No. 1 and eventual national champion Penn State and No. 16 Purdue. Florida is 1-0 against ranked opponents this fall with its three-set sweep of No. 25 Florida State earlier in the season.
The Cyclones are undefeated after picking up wins over Southern Mississippi, Arizona and Iowa last weekend. Junior middle blocker Jamie Straube was named the Iowa State Challenge MVP after hitting .385 with 14 blocks during the tournament. Senior outside hitter Carly Jenson and junior setter Alison Landwehr were named to the All-Tournament Team. Landwehr has had over 40 assists in two matches already this fall.
The Cyclones also return redshirt junior Rachel Hockaday, who missed the 2010 season after suffering a knee injury against the Gators in their Runza/AVCA Showcase meeting a year ago.
Iowa State has led all six of its opponents in kills, digs, blocks and hitting percentage this year while hitting over .300 in five of its six competitions. The Cyclones are first in the Big 12 in digs and Landwehr and senior libero Caitlin Mahoney lead the Big 12 in assists and digs, respectively.
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