GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The post-match disappointment was evident in
Mary Wise's demeanor and delivery Monday night. The mood in the locker room, understandably, was no better. Exactly no one could blame them.
The Gators had just taken No. 1 and unbeaten Wisconsin to the limit in their NCAA regional final, falling 15-12 in the fifth set. In their 17 previous matches this season, the Badgers had lost just three sets
total, yet there they were, in a "sprint to 15," after UF had forced UW into its first fifth set of the season. Three times trailed the Badgers trailed by three points,
but eventually bowed up and claimed the decisive set 15-12. With that, the longest, strangest, most challenging, and, yes, one of the most rewarding runs of the 30-season Wise era came to an end.
And so did the careers of four stalwart seniors.
With the exception of All-Southeastern Conference selection
Holly Carlton, it's safe to assume fellow seniors
Paige Hammons,
Mia Sokolowski and
Darrielle King didn't get as much time on the court as they would have liked, but a case can be made those veterans were instrumental in helping set a tone that allowed the Gators to navigate this unique 2020-21 campaign that (unlike programs in the Big Ten and Pac-12, who opted out of fall due to COVID-19) was split into separate fall and spring seasons.
The SEC played and Florida, in turn, came back to school last summer and made it through the entire season (two seasons, actually) with minimal pandemic disruption in the program over nine months.
"Gators know how to mask up," Wise said.
They also knew how to step up. UF overcame six set points in its first game against Ohio State in Sunday night's regional semifinal and won in four. The Gators were down six points late in Set 1 against Wisconsin before falling in a 30-28 marathon, then bounced back to win sets 2 and 4 before succumbing to the nation's lone undefeated team in Set 5.
Thayer Hall,
Marlie Monserez,
T'ara Ceasar,
Lauren Dooley,
Lauren Forte,
Elli McKissock and, yes, Carlton, battled the Badgers to the very end. And it was just that — the realization of
The End — that overtook the the Florida locker room afterward.
Hall, the junior and three-time AVCA All-Southeast Region honoree, spoke of how Hammons was her first friend on campus. She mentioned how she admired and followed the leads of King and Sokolowski in their professional-like preparation, despite not getting the commensurate time in the game-day rotations.
"There were so many opportunities … to just give up. They never did. They just continued to give every single day," Hall said. "I'm so thankful for this class, as a whole. Yeah, it's really hard to watch them walk away."
And walk away they will. Wise confirmed as much when asked if any of her seniors would take advantage of the COVID-free year of eligibility. The decision had already been made they would not.
"That's why we have a lot of tears in our locker room. They're moving on," Wise said. "They will be missed, but they certainly left their mark on Florida volleyball."
By virtually all accounts, the Gators played their best all-around match of the season Monday night. Their offense was on point and the defense limited Wisconsin to a season-low .153 hitting percentage. Against any other opponent, it would have been good enough to put Florida in the Final Four.
"Just not this team, this night," Wise said.
No one outside the Florida locker room — or on UF's arena pass list, Hall said — gave the Gators much of a chance against the nation's top-ranked squad. That they came so close made it that even harder process.
Along, of course, with the goodbyes that ensued.
"To see what this team has done over the span of a year, to go through an entire year-long season and be able to play the level of volleyball we've played in this run, that's what we'll take away," said Hall, who will headline a deep group of returning players that next fall will give the Gators a chance to be right back in the national-title conversation. "What I'll remember most, no matter what role anyone had today — whether on the floor or on the bench — everyone put everything they had out there. We know that it fell into Wisconsin's hands, but coming out of this we know that if people think we can't hang with the best of the best, I don't know what to do tell you. We proved that today. It was really good volleyball.''
A really good, but equally really unique, volleyball season, as well.
