COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 1 Florida Gators found a perfect way to end the first perfect season in Southeastern Conference women’s volleyball history.
Florida (27-1, 20-0 SEC) got a team-high nine kills from senior outside hitter Callie Rivers and an error-free performance from junior right-side/setter Kelly Murphy in one of the Gators’ most balanced performances of the season—a 3-0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-12) victory over South Carolina Friday night at the Volleyball Competition Facility.
While it is the 12th perfect conference season for the Gators under coach Mary Wise, it’s the first time Florida or any other SEC team has gone 20-0 since the double round-robin schedule was instituted prior to the 2006 season. The victory also was the 22nd straight for the Gators, who now await Sunday’s NCAA Selection Show (3 p.m., ESPNews) to find out who their first-round opponent will be. The Gators are expected to start their tournament travels in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center next weekend.
“To go through a double round-robin schedule undefeated is special,” Wise said, “but to end the regular season with one of our most complete performances of the season is also a great way to enter the NCAA Tournament.”
Florida had 15 total team blocks in the match, just two off the 17.0 total team blocks it had at Auburn on Nov. 7, 2010 and 1.5 blocks off its best three-set effort since having 16.5 blocks against St. John’s on Nov. 25, 2006.
Florida hit at a sizzling .416 clip in the match, marking the team’s highest hitting efficiency since hitting .418 at Georgia on Nov. 5. Florida has hit better than .400 in four matches during the 2010 campaign. The Gators limited the Gamecocks to just a .081 hitting percentage, marking the eighth time this season that Florida has held its opponent under .100 hitting in a single match.
Rivers’ nine kills came on .368 hitting with six digs and two service aces for 11.5 total points. She was one of five Florida players who tallied five or more kills in Friday’s match.
Junior right-side/setter Kelly Murphy totaled seven kills on 11 swings with no errors for a .636 hitting efficiency with 12 assists and four digs to complement four service aces and a season-high-tying five blocks. It marked Murphy’s third errorless match this season and went down as her eighth match of the season hitting .500 or better.
Junior outside hitter Kristy Jaeckel had seven kills on .500 hitting with a match-high 10 digs and four blocks, while senior middle blocker Lauren Bledsoe added eight kills on .538 hitting with four blocks for 10.0 total points. Junior middle blocker Cassandra Anderson recorded five kills on .500 hitting with an impressive nine blocks. Sophomore right-side Tangerine Wiggs posted four blocks, while freshman setter Chanel Brown (Tempe, Ariz.) dished out a team-high 17 assists to go with seven digs. Senior libero Erin Fleming added seven digs.
As a result of winning the 2010 SEC regular-season title, the Gators have earned the SEC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, marking the team’s 20th consecutive appearance and 21st appearance overall.
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
EASTERN DIVISION SEC/Overall
(1) Florida 20-0/27-1
(21) Tennessee 15-5/24-6
Kentucky 11-9/17-13
Georgia 6-14/15-17
South Carolina 4-16/7-23
WESTERN DIVISION SEC/Overall
(17) Louisiana State 16-4/25-4
Mississippi 13-7/19-10
Auburn 11-9/20-12
Arkansas 8-12/14-17
Alabama 3-17/11-19
Mississippi State 3-17/11-20
RESULTS
Wednesday / Nov. 24
Louisiana State 3, Arkansas 0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-20)
Alabama 3, Mississippi State 1 (25-14, 29-27, 21-25, 25-13)
Auburn 3, Georgia 2 (19-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-27, 15-4)
Tennessee 3, Kentucky 0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-21)
Friday / Nov. 26
Florida 3, South Carolina 0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-12)
SCHEDULE
Sunday / Nov. 28
NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship selection show, 3 p.m. (ESPNews)
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