OMAHA, Neb. — Nothing like starting the season by knocking off two college volleyball powers in their own backyards. Just ask Mary Wise’s Florida Gators.
Led by the 16th career triple-double by right-side/setter Kelly Murphy, the lucky 13th-ranked Gators followed up their four-set victory over No. 9 Iowa State Saturday with a five-set, 3-2 (25-22, 25-22, 29-31, 13-25, 15-12) victory over No. 2 Nebraska in the Runza/AVCA Showcase at the Qwest Center. It was the first time since the 2003 NCAA Championship semifinals against Hawaii that Florida (2-0) has knocked off a top-two team.
It was precisely the kind of start that Wise wanted for her team, having to face two national powers in Iowa State, which is 170 miles from the Qwest Center, and Nebraska, which is 60 miles from Omaha, in a hostile atmosphere. The Gators grew up in a hurry.
“The AVCA Showcase delivered,” Wise said. “It has a history of great matches, and hopefully this one today will go down in that group. We felt like to beat Nebraska in this state, we would have to match the intensity level of not only the six players on the court, but also of the Husker fans. This team really did a great job of that today.”
Murphy, a junior All-American from Wilmington, Ill., tied a career high with 20 kills (on .514 hitting), added 23 assists, 10 digs and three blocks. Junior outside hitter Kristy Jaeckel of Littleton, Colo., had her first double-double of the season with 12 kills and a career-high 15 digs. Senior outside hitter Callie Rivers of Winter Park added 12 kills (on .300 hitting) with three service aces and seven digs. Freshman setter Chanel Brown of Tempe, Ariz., had a career-high 31 assists. Sophomore right-side hitter Tangerine Wiggs of Seattle had seven kills and four blocks. Senior middle blocker Lauren Bledsoe of Long Beach, Calif., had six hills and seven blocks and junior middle blocker Cassandra Anderson of Bakersfield, Calif., had six kills and five blocks.
“I think we did a really good job of staying calm and not getting wrapped up in the atmosphere,” said Murphy, who was joined by Bledsoe and Rivers on the AVCA Showcase All-Tournament team. “We knew that we had a chance if we worked hard and stayed focused.”
Florida jumped to a 5-0 lead in the first set with four kills and an Erin Fleming ace. Nebraska came back with three kills to cut the Gators’ lead to 6-3, and the teams traded points before Florida ran off three points in a row, two of them coming on a block by Jaeckel and a Murphy ace, for an 11-6 lead. The Gators later led 17-13 when Murphy’s kill and two consecutive service aces by Rivers put Florida up 20-13. But Nebraska fought back, eventually getting within two, 23-21, after back-to-back kills by Lindsey Licht and Brooke Delano. But Jaeckel’s kill from the outside and Wiggs’ kill closed out a first-set 25-22 victory. Florida hit .353 in the opening set while recording four service aces and three team blocks.
The Cornhuskers opened the second set with a 3-0 lead before the Gators tied it with three straight kills, two by Anderson. Nebraska answered with three kills for a 6-3 lead but Florida ran off five straight points for an 8-6 lead. After a timeout, Nebraska reclaimed the lead 11-8. But Murphy had a kill and then she teamed with Bledsoe for another block to pull the Gators to 11-10. Florida eventually tied it at 12-12 with a block by Bledsoe and Wiggs. After a 13-13 tie, Jaeckel served an ace to give Florida a lead 14-13. Back-to-back kills by Rivers and Bledsoe gave Florida a 16-13 lead. Up 16-14, Florida got two blocks and a Wiggs kill for an 18-14 lead. Leading 21-18, Florida called a timeout and Nebraska came out of the break to tie the set 21-21. But Murphy got two kills, Nebraska made an attack error and finally Wiggs made a kill to give Florida the second set, 25-22. The Gators had six blocks in the second set.
The Gators and Cornhuskers went back and forth in the third set before Nebraska grabbed an 18-15 lead. A 4-1 run by Florida, the last point coming on a block by Anderson and Rivers, tied the third set at 19-19. Nebraska went up 21-19 on a pair of kills, forcing Wise to call a timeout. A Rivers kill and a Nebraska back-row blocking call again tied the third set at 21-21. Nebraska moved ahead 23-21 on a pair of kills, but a big kill by Murphy and a four-hits call on Nebraska tied the third set again, 23-23. Bledsoe and Jaeckel then combined on a block to give Florida a 24-23 lead with the serve for the match. But Nebraska staved off that match point and also another at 26-25 following a pair of Jaeckel kills. It eventually reached 29-29 before Nebraska got two consecutive points, the final on a Mueller kill, to take the third set, 31-29.
Mueller’s strong serving in the fourth set helped Nebraska to a 7-0 run that put the Cornhuskers up 16-7 and Nebraska eventually closed out a 25-13 fourth-set win.
In the fifth set, Nebraska scored the first three points but Florida came back to tie the set at 3-3, two of the points coming on Jaeckel put-downs. Nebraska took a 5-3 lead on a kill and an illegal Florida rotation. The teams exchanged points before a Wiggs kill and an attack error by Nebraska knotted the set at 7-7. Three Nebraska kills provided a 10-7 lead and a Florida timeout. Florida was down 11-7 when it mounted its comeback. Rivers had a pair of kills to pull the Gators within 11-9. Nebraska then made three straight attack errors that allowed Florida to take a 12-11 lead. After the teams exchanged points, a Murphy kill and an Anderson and Murphy block gave Florida a 15-12 fifth-set victory and the match.
Florida is off until Friday when it plays host to the Campus USA Credit Union Invitational. The Gators meet Albany at 12:30 p.m. in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center following the 10 a.m. match between Bowling Green and Colorado State. Then following the Colorado State-Albany match at 5 p.m. Friday, Florida meets Bowling Green at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, the Gators meet Colorado State at 4 p.m. and Bowling Green meets Albany at 6 p.m.