Junior right-side/setter Kelly Murphy became the 29th player in Florida volleyball history to join the school’s 1,000-point club, recording her nation-leading fifth triple-double of the season to direct the No. 1 Gators to a 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-22) win against Auburn in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
The Gators (15-1, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) claimed their 10th consecutive victory. Florida held the Tigers to.087 hitting, marking the third time this season that the Gators have limited an opponent to less than a .100 hitting efficiency.
Murphy recorded a match-high 15 kills on .583 hitting to complement 13 assists and 12 digs for 16.0 total points. Murphy’s triple-double allowed her to surpass Northern Iowa’s Bre Payton for the top spot in the nation. She now has 20 career triple-doubles at Florida, another school record.
“You can’t talk about this match without talking about Kelly Murphy because of how really special she was today,” Florida head coach Mary Wise said. “She showed great offensive patience and used all parts of the court to get her kills. She’s got terrific court vision.”
Murphy recorded her 1,000th career point in the match, teaming with junior middle blocker Cassandra Anderson for a block to give the Gators an 11-6 lead in the second set. She accomplished the feat in just 78 career matches, more impressively while operating as a key element in Florida’s 6-2 offensive scheme.
Wise picked up her 699th career victory, putting her one win away from 700 for her coaching career. Wise is 699-131 (.842) in her 25th season as a collegiate head coach.
“What we do know is that it’s a 3-0 win at home, but we have to go back to Auburn and that team, they do a lot of really good things,” Wise said. “I have a feeling that this is a team that you don’t want to play in the second half of the SEC season, and I fully expect them to be in the NCAA Tournament.”
The Gators improve to 13-1 all-time when playing as the nation’s No. 1-ranked team.
Junior outside hitter Kristy Jaeckel had nine kills and seven digs, while senior outside hitter Callie Rivers had six kills and 12 digs. Senior middle blocker Lauren Bledsoe added five kills and two blocks. Freshman setter Chanel Brown had a match-high 22 assists, while senior libero Erin Fleming had a match-high 13 digs.
Florida returns to action Sunday when it plays host to border-rival Georgia. Opening serve in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center is slated for 1:30 p.m. and the match will be carried live on Sun Sports.
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS
EASTERN DIVISION SEC/Overall
(1) Florida 8-0/15-1
(24) Tennessee 6-3/14-4
Kentucky 4-5/10-9
Georgia 3-6/11-9
South Carolina 1-7/4-14
WESTERN DIVISION SEC/Overall
(12) Louisiana State 8-2/17-2
Mississippi 7-2/13-5
Auburn 5-4/14-7
Arkansas 3-6/9-11
Mississippi State 2-5/10-9
Alabama 1-7/9-9
RESULTS
Friday / Oct. 15
Florida 3, Auburn 0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-22)
Mississippi 3, Louisiana State 0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-18)
Georgia 3, South Carolina 1 (25-16, 25-22, 23-25, 25-23)
Kentucky 3, Alabama 1 (15-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-12)
Tennessee 3, Mississippi State 0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-18)
Wednesday / Oct. 13
Louisiana State 3, Arkansas 1 (25-17, 17-25, 25-13, 25-17)
SCHEDULE
Sunday / Oct. 17
Georgia at Florida, 1:30 p.m.
Mississippi State at Kentucky, 1:30 p.m.
Alabama at Tennessee, 1:30 p.m.
Auburn at South Carolina, 1:30 p.m.
Arkansas at Mississippi, 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday / Oct. 20
Tennessee at Florida, 8 p.m. (ESPNU)
Alabama at Mississippi State, 8 p.m.
For the latest Bison/American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I coaches poll, click below:
http://www.ncaa.com/sports/w-volley/division_i1.html
For the latest 2010 NCAA Women’s Volleyball RPI rankings, click below:
http://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/weeklyrpi/2010WVBrpi1.html