Mallette Rises Up for Gators in SEC Play
Friday, October 24, 2014 | Volleyball, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- She showed up at practice and did her part. She worked to improve her game and to find her role. She talked to Coach Mary Wise about volleyball and life.
What Gators junior Gabby Mallette didn't do much early in the season was play.
Her absence was noticeable considering that in her first two seasons at UF, Mallette played in 56 matches, recorded 359 kills and on three occasions had 15 kills in a single match.
So what happened?
"Gabby had a slow start coming out of training camp,'' Wise said. "It wasn't that her play was that off, it's just that everyone else was playing so well. That's what happens when you play around other great players. I think it took a while for her to find what was going to be her strength and to make her strength her strength."
Junior Gabby Mallette's 2.91 points per set in SEC play ranks third on Gators. (Photo: Tim Casey)
Mallette hardly saw the court as the Gators made their way through the nonconference portion of the schedule.
Redshirt junior Noami Santos-Lamb and true freshman Carli Snyder were playing well at outside hitter and why mess with what's working. For a player used to playing, that process can be troublesome to accept. For a coach, it's ideal.
In Mallette's case, Wise knew she had a good player when the time was right. Mallette started 18 games last season and finished fourth on the team with 2.41 kills per set.
She also knows for the Gators to slam their way deep into the postseason, they need a deep roster battle-tested from top to bottom.
Mallette continues to do her part. But now it's usually by hammering balls over the net at opponents. When the Gators (14-3, 8-0) host defending Southeastern Conference champion Missouri (13-9, 4-3) on Friday night at the O'Connell Center, expect Mallette to contribute something more than high-fives.
Since Mallette entered the starting lineup in SEC play, the Gators haven't lost.
A 6-foot-2 junior from Jacksonville, Mallette has expanded her game and helped Florida sweep six of its eight SEC matches.
"Gabby really brings a great blocking IQ,'' said senior defensive specialist Maddy Monserez. "She has done a great job all season of being that strong blocking presence. Even when she wasn't getting that playing time, her focus in practice was radiated throughout her whole position.
"She does a great job of taking ownership of that blocking and that idea that it's just not putting her hands up there, it's really understanding what the other team is doing."
While Monserez appreciates Mallette's defense, Wise is fond of her of improved offensive game. Mallette is seeing more of the court when she rises from the floor for a hit, leading to more challenges for opposing defenses.
"The part of her game that has really improved over the past few weeks has been her offensive game and the range of which she is hitting,'' Wise said. "She has always hit high, now she is hitting just more parts of the court.
"She is doing what some of the hitters can't do and making that her strength."
Mallette is taking it all in stride. Sort of the way she did when she wasn't playing as much.
But don't be fooled, she likes her role now more than earlier in the season.
"It's a great transition,'' she said Wednesday. "I think it would be different if it was the other way around. It's been awesome just getting back in the swing of things. I had a lot of playing time my first two years. It's awesome being back on the court with my teammates. They are making this a lot easier, too."
Mallette looks forward to continuing her recent upward trend on Friday. When she looks across the net she will see a familiar face in Missouri middle blocker Whitney Little.
Mallette and Little played together over the summer on a USA Volleyball Collegiate National Team during a European tour that also featured UF players Alex Holston and Simone Antwi.
The Tigers are not the same team they were a year ago when they swept the season series from Florida. And Mallette isn't the same player.
She is on the rise, her early-season approach now paying off.
"I had to have an open mind to it,'' she said of the chance to return to the starting lineup. "It wasn't like I was scared or worried or anything. It was kind of like, 'let's do my best and see what happens.' I just want to do what I can for my team and provide the blocking and hitting and everything I can do."
