Senior outside hitter Kristy Jaeckel has been named the Southeastern Conference’s Offensive Player of the Week and Sports Imports/American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I National Player of the Week for her stellar performance on the road against SEC rivals, Auburn and Georgia this past weekend.
The Colorado native had her best weekend as a Gator against Auburn and Georgia, as she averaged 6.08 points, 4.83 kills and 1.83 blocks per set. She combined for 29 kills, 12 blocks, four digs and two service aces to complete the weekend. In Auburn, Ala., Jaeckel led the match-kills against the Tigers with 15 and had matched her season-high hitting percentage at the time with .400.
In Athens, Ga. Jaeckel earned herself a new season-high hitting percentage of .520 with 14 kills and only one error. She also reached a new season high for blocking as she put up six against the Bulldogs.
Jaeckel’s outstanding offense this past weekend helped put the Gators in the lead for hitting percentage in the SEC with a .301 clip. The senior is sixth in the SEC in kills per set with 3.44 and points per set with 4.11. Jaeckel also contributed to helping give Florida their highest single-set hitting percentage in program history against Georgia in set two with .720 clip.
Being awarded the Sports Imports/American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I National Player of the Week is Jaeckel’s first national weekly honor and she becomes the only outside hitter in Florida history to ever receive this award.
Jaeckel joins senior setter and right-side hitter Kelly Murphy in being awarded the Sports Imports/American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I National Player of the Week this season. Jaeckel and Murphy are just the fourth set of teammates in the last decade to be recognized as AVCA Division I National Player of the Week in the same season. Florida and Nebraska are the only programs in the history of the AVCA to have two teammates in the same season awarded with this honor. The last time this occurred for Florida was back in the 1998 season when former Gators Jenny Manz and Heather Wright received this national award.
In addition to being awarded these honors this week, Jaeckel has already been named to three All-Tournament Teams so far this season including one where she was named MVP (Nike Big Four Classic, Campus USA MVP and Active Ankle All-Tournament Team). In 2008 she was named to the All-Freshman Team, First Team in 2009 and Second Team in 2010. She was also an AVCA Honorable Mention All-America last year and is a three-time All-SEC selection.
No. 13 Florida return home to the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on Friday, when the Gators will take on the Arkansas Razorbacks at 7 p.m. The Gators will then face off against the LSU Tigers on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. This match will be aired live on Sun Sports with Larry Vettel providing the audience play-by-play commentary and former Gator All-SEC setter Missy Whittemore will provide color commentary.
Gator Country reporter Elizabeth Rhodes can be reached at .