Gator Country

Elyse Cusack had another record-breaking night in Florida's 3-0 SEC volleyball victory over Arkansas./Gator Country file photo by Tim Casey

Senior libero Elyse Cusack is the heart and soul of the No. 10 Florida Gators volleyball team, the anchor that keeps the talented but youthful Gators from drifting too far off course. So when coach Mary Wise’s Gators put together their third consecutive dominating conference victory, it was only fitting that Cusack would reach yet another milestone in her already impressive career donning the Orange and Blue.

In helping lead the Gators to a 3-0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-16) victory over Arkansas, Cusack’s 11 digs made her only the third player in SEC history to cross the 1,900 dig threshold. Her 1,906 digs are behind only Jenni Casper’s (2003-06, Kentucky) 2,037 and Ashley Miller’s (2004-07, Arkansas) 2,126 for most all-time in the SEC.

Going by the numbers, Cusack, who averages 4.18 digs per set on the season, would need to keep up that average for about 53 more sets to break the record. The Gators are currently averaging 3.6 sets per match, so Cusack would be on pace to break the record sometime around a potential NCAA regional final match in Gainesville, in what would be the 14th of Florida’s remaining matches.

Cusack was proud of her achievement but chose to deflect the praise to her teammates, particularly sophomore Kristy Jaeckel, whose 12 digs actually made her only the second Gator to out-dig Cusack this season.

“It’s always nice to have your name in the record book,” Cusack said. “But it’s not something I came in here looking for. I just work hard and I guess it’s paying off.”

Of course, those types of achievements are ones that will probably stick in Cusack’s mind long after she leaves Florida (15-3, 9-2 SEC).

“Maybe looking back later on down the road when I’m old I’ll say ‘Wow, I still hold that record,’” Cusack said. “But right now it’s all about team effort and winning one match at a time and ultimately our goal of winning an SEC and national championship.”

Cusack is in the midst of what will be her last run for both of those goals, and it’s clear the achievement not only shows how important she has been to the program but also how much she will be missed by her coach and her teammates.

“Somehow, some way we’ve got to figure out how to get her a fifth year of eligibility,” Wise joked. “Remember she went to P.K. Yonge and graduated early, so she really has been here four and a half years. She has been the glue to this team. She has anchored the serve-receive working with young players around her. She is the heart and soul of this young team and it shows every night when she goes out to play and every day when she comes to practice.”

Having such a solid rock to lean on has helped the young Gators stay on track even after two conference losses. It was apparent the Gators wanted to show their fans how much their hard work since their last loss has paid off.

“We’re definitely getting back in the groove of things,” said junior Brynja Rodgers. “After losses you go back to the gym and back into practice ready to work really hard. Sometimes it takes a little kick in the butt, like a loss. Those are good for us. We’ve really been working hard in the gym and when we get to play and show off what we learned in the gym, like tonight, it works out really well for us.”

What the Gators showed off was how dominant they could be in all facets of the game. It seemed like whatever Arkansas (10-12, 4-7 SEC) tried to do, the Gators had an answer.

“The game plan tonight was to win the serving, passing, and blocking battles,” Wise said. “We felt if we could win in those three areas, this would be a match we would win, and that’s exactly what happened.”

Florida followed Wise’s plan to the letter.

When the Razorbacks tried to punch an attack through the Gators front line, time and time again it was returned to sender after meeting Florida’s impenetrable blockers. The Gators, led by sophomore Cassandra Anderson’s one solo and four assist blocks, outblocked Arkansas 10-4, their third straight double-digit blocking performance.

When Florida stepped up to the line to serve, Arkansas seemed lost every time the ball came over the net. The Gators served eight aces in the match, second most of the season, resulting in eight receiving errors by the Razorbacks.

At one point in the second set, Rodgers served three consecutive aces that left Arkansas looking dazed and confused. It almost seemed like Rodgers, whose four aces were a Florida-high this season, was so surprised at how easy the aces came that she confused herself, hitting the next one into the net.

“I don’t know what happened on the fourth one,” Wise joked. “Maybe her arm got tired. She came back for match point. We’ve had so few matches here in the O’Connell Center. You wonder what it would be like if she was a player we had four years in the O’Dome, what she could do with her serve and this much room. We can’t play in this gym nearly enough for her.”

The Gators were able to control the match throughout without even relying on their loaded front line of attackers. Sophomore Kristy Jaeckel, with 10 kills, was the only Gator to reach double-digit kills in the match. But when the Gators had an opportunity, they capitalized, hitting .392 in the match, third highest this season.

In fact, in the Gators last two matches, they hit .361 and .368, fifth and sixth highest percentages this season.

Things seem like they are finally starting to come together for the Gators at the right time. If Florida can figure out how to consistently put together all-around performances like the one against Arkansas, teams will find it very hard to keep up with them.

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