Bzoch Did Not Have to Travel Far to Join Gators
Saturday, August 29, 2015 | Volleyball, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The young girl attended University of Florida volleyball games often growing up. She played at UF camps in the summer and in her best guess, figures she first met Gators head coach Mary Wise when she was around 11.
There is no guesswork when Gators sophomore Ann-Lorrayne Bzoch recalls what she remembers most about those trips to the O'Connell Center.
"I used to look up to Elyse Cusack,'' Bzoch said. "That's who I wanted to be when I grew up."
Like Bzoch, Cusack starred in prep volleyball a short drive from campus at Gainesville's P.K. Yonge High School. Bzoch played at St. Francis Catholic.
Both made their mark in the game as defensive specialists. In her first year at UF, Cusack was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2006.
Bzoch has a ways to go before she can match what Cusack did while at UF, but she has made it here and is ready to contribute to the No. 4 Gators as they open the season tonight at James Madison University.
"I just really want to help out any way I can, whether that's on or off the court,'' Bzoch said. "I'm learning a lot. It's a very new system, very different from Santa Fe."
Following last season's trip to the Elite Eight, Wise knew she had a talented team returning, especially along the net.
However, the Gators lost defensive specialists Holly Pole, Maddy Monserez and Taylor Unroe, leaving some holes to fill. Wise did not have to look far for help.
She was already very familiar with Bzoch from her days playing for former UF assistant coach Nick Cheronis at St. Francis Catholic. When Cheronis left St. Francis to launch the volleyball program at Santa Fe College a year ago, Bzoch decided to remain home for college and tag along with her coach and with a vision of one day transferring to UF.
Bzoch was the first signee in Santa Fe volleyball program history.
"I really love Gainesville,'' she said. "It's my home. All my relatives have gone to UF. It's kind of a tradition."
In her only season at Santa Fe, Bzoch was the Saints' starting libero and helped them go 31-7 and win the Mid-Florida Conference title.
She expected to stay for two years, but when an opportunity to transfer to UF surfaced in the spring, she made the move across town.
"I can't imagine a junior-college player in that position making an easier transition, and yet the game is so different for her in this gym,'' Wise said. "We were thrilled when Santa Fe added volleyball. It was more opportunities for women.
"We didn't know how long it would take before there would be a player to choose to come that route and come to Florida. It took a year. It's been great."
In her first month at Florida, Bzoch will travel with the Gators to Harrisonburg, Va., Washington, D.C., Austin, Texas and Honolulu, Hawaii before the Gators make their home debut on Sept. 17 against St. John's.
Road trips last year at Santa Fe included bus rides to Ocala, New Port Richey, Cocoa and Leesburg.
The newness of it all made it fun.
"We were the first everything. It was kind of chaotic at times,'' Bzoch said. "We didn't know what to expect. We all kind of made a tradition there. I think we set a good standard for the years to come."
Bzoch is competing with Sam Dubiel, Nikki O'Rourke and Lindsey Rogers for playing time with four defensive specialists on the roster.
The 19-year-old Bzoch played in all 141 sets at Santa Fe last season, the only Saints player to do so. She racked up 605 digs to leave an impressive mark in her only season there.
The Bzoch family has deep roots to UF. Both her parents, Annie and Kevin, attended the school, and her paternal grandfather, Kenneth Bzoch, moved to Gainesville in 1960 to serve as chair of the communicative disorders department at what is now Shands at UF.
Those ties, plus her familiarity with Wise and daydreams of one day being Cusack all have made for a smooth transition.
"It's more than just about volleyball,'' she said. "It's more of a family and when you join this program, you are getting an additional family."
The same family that introduced Bzoch to Cusack several years ago.
