Florida Volleyball Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Florida Women’s Athletics
Katie Callahan
11/30/2021
Though Florida Volleyball hasn’t been around for all 50 seasons of University of Florida Women’s Athletics, the program has given Gators everywhere plenty of opportunities to cheer.
Florida volleyball first took to the court in 1974-75, but was dropped as a varsity sport in the spring of 1979. The team returned to varsity status for the fall 1984 season. In the 38 seasons since, the program has become a perennial post-season presence.
From a league-leading 24 SEC Championships, to eight National Semifinals, to 127 All-Americas honors and everything in between, Gator Volleyball has been instrumental to the success of UF’s Women’s Athletics.
Here’s a look at what Florida Volleyball has accomplished over the years.
NCAA Success
Florida volleyball has made 32 NCAA Appearances in 38 seasons, including 31-straight years under Mary Wise – the third-longest active streak in the nation. The Gators have reached eight National Semifinals, 16 Regional Finals and 27 Regional Semifinals during that stretch.
Florida celebrating its eight National Semifinal Trips - L-R (2017, 2003, 2002, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1993, 1992)
Florida has racked up 127 All-America honors from 45 different athletes since the 1991 season. Gudala Staub was Florida's first All-American, earning AVCA honors in the 1991 and 1992 seasons.
Gallery: Volleyball All-Americans
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Southeastern Conference Success
League Leader:
- 24 Southeastern Conference titles
- That is the third-highest total of championships in the entire conference among all sports since volleyball’s inception into the SEC in 1979
- All 24 titles have come under Mary Wise, meaning she has won at least a share of a conference title in her 24 of 31 seasons at Florida
- The 24 titles are the second-best mark at Florida since 1984, with only women’s tennis having more titles in that time frame (26)
Gallery: Volleyball SEC Championships
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SEC Players of the Year
Rhamat Alhassan - 2017
Alex Holston - 2014
Chloe Mann - 2012
Kelly Murphy - 2010
Angie McGinnis - 2006 & 2007
Jane Collymore - 2004 & 2005
Aury Cruz - 2001, 2002 & 2003
Nicole McCray - 2000
Jenny Wood - 1996
Aycan Gokberk - 1993 & 1995
Gudala Staub - 1992
Category Leaders
- Florida boasts three of the Top-10 all-time hitting percentage leaders in Division I history, including Chloe Mann's (2010-13) record clip of .476
- Aury Cruz (2000-03) leads the program with 1,815 career kills
- Angie McGinnis (2004-7) recorded a program-best 5,784 assists during her tenure at Florida
- Elyse Cusack (2006-09) tallied 2,138 digs during her career, topping the Florida record books by over 500 digs
- Rhamat Alhassan (2014-17) recorded 647 blocks during her time in the Orange & Blue to set a new program record
Chloe Mann - .476 hitting percentage
Aury Cruz - 1,815 kills
Angie McGinnis - 5,784 assists
Elyse Cusack - 2,138 digs
Rhamat Alhassan - 647 blocks
Successful Streaks
- The Gators have made 31-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, the third-longest active streak in the nation
- Florida has recorded at least 20 wins in 31-straight seasons, the longest streak in the nation
- The Gators have finished in the Top-15 in the AVCA Poll in 29-straight seasons
- UF won 18-straight SEC Titles from 1991-2008 (Division I women's volleyball record)
- Florida won 145 SEC regular season matches from 1995-2004 (Division I record)
- The Gators won 121 SEC matches from 1998-2204 (5th-longest streak in NCAA history across all divisions)
- UF won 105 straight sets in 2003 (2nd-longest streak in NCAA history across all divisions)
- Florida won 58 consecutive home matches from 1990-94 (6th-longest streak in Division I history)
Success in Classroom
- The Gators have racked up 254 SEC Academic Honor Roll accolades
- Eight with 11 CoSIDA Academic All-America honors
Gallery: Volleyball Academic All-Americans
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Gators in the Pros
- Four different Gators have competed in the Olympic Games
- A total of 29 players have either been drafted or played professionally
Aury Cruz - Puerto Rico - 2016 Olympics
Kelly Murphy - USA - 2016 Olympics
Dara Torres (Swimming) - USA - 1984 (1 Gold), 1988 (1 Silver, 1 Bronze), 1992 (1 Gold), 2000 (2 Gold, 3 Bronze), 2008 (3 Silver)
Gudala Staub - Germany Beach Volleyball - 2000 Olympics
The following Gators have either played or been drafted professionally:
| Rhamat Alhassan |
| Lauren Bledsoe |
| Taylor Brauneis |
| Jane Collymore |
| Aury Cruz |
| Nina Foster |
| Aycan Gokberk |
| Alex Holston |
| Kristy Jaeckel |
| Benavia Jenkins |
| Shainah Joseph |
| Caroline Knop |
| Rachael Kramer |
| Chloe Mann |
| Jenny Manz |
| Nicole McCray |
| Kelly Murphy |
| Callie Rivers |
| Jacque Robinson |
| Aurymar Rodriguez |
| Jen Sanchez |
| Nikki Shade |
| Carli Snyder |
| Gudala Staub |
| Wendy Stevenson |
| Lyra Vance |
| Jenny Whitehead |
| Sherri Williams |
| Connie Wolter |
