When Lauren Bledsoe came to Florida as a freshman in 2007, there were no doubts about how talented she was.
The Long Beach, Calif., native was considered the No. 26 recruit in the nation on a Top 10 recruiting class. As soon as she stepped into the gym, Florida coach Mary Wise knew she had a special player on her hands.
“Lauren came to us with a lot of game,” Wise said. “(She had) one of the best arm swings ever from a young freshman. Her timing is so good. She sees the block and she’s got a prototype perfect technique.”
When Bledsoe takes the court with the fourth-ranked Gators (5-0) at 8 p.m. Friday in the University of South Florida’s Sun Dome against South Florida (6-0) and at 6 p.m. Saturday against No. 3 Washington (5-0) for the Tampa Twice Tournament, she will show just how far she has come since arriving as a freshman full of potential.
As is the case with many freshmen when they first arrive on campus, it took a while before Bledsoe’s talent made an impact in actual matches. Bledsoe didn’t see the court much that first year, at least not until senior outside hitter Marcie Hampton went down in the regular-season finale with a torn Achilles tendon.
That’s when Bledsoe was thrown into the fire of the NCAA Tournament, and she responded as if she was one of the team’s veterans. Bledsoe notched 12 kills in a second-round battle against Oklahoma, including a 4-0 service run to help the Gators come back in set three to go along with the match-clinching kill.
The Gators ended up losing in the following round to Texas but her contributions did not get past Wise.
“We don’t go to an NCAA Regional if she’s not on the left side after Marcie blew out her Achilles,” Wise said.
After her impressive late-season performances, Bledsoe stayed on campus in the offseason to work on her game and started to develop a bond with strength coach Matt DeLancey.
The hard work paid off as Bledsoe was moved to the right side full-time in her sophomore season and saw an increase in playing time and production. But with an incredible incoming freshman class that included Kelly Murphy, Colleen Ward and Kristy Jaeckel, Bledsoe’s contributions got lost in the headlines.
But once again, Bledsoe was called on in the postseason to deliver, and once again she came through when it counted most.
Against eventual runner-up Stanford, the Gators found themselves stymied all night long, but not for a lack of offensive production from Bledsoe, who led the team with eight kills. In fact, Wise says she was the only one able to punch through kills against the Cardinal in that match.
After yet another solid postseason performance, Bledsoe stayed on campus for the second-straight off-season and continued to develop a bond with DeLancey, the man who calls her “Drew.” The nickname comes from the former NFL quarterback who shares her last name, Drew Bledsoe.
The extra strength from those offseason programs along with two seasons of experience under her belt has seen Bledsoe blossom from the freshman oozing with talent to a dominating attacker this season.
“I think my confidence is really key for this season with all the experience,” Bledsoe said. “The first two years was just about getting used to it and getting acclimated. Now is the time when you are like, ‘OK. I can go above and beyond instead of just being average.’”
She has definitely taken her game above and beyond this season.
Bledsoe had her coming-out party in the five-set match against instate rival Florida State, recording a career-high 15 kills, including the go-ahead point late in the final set.
But Bledsoe refused to acknowledge her own performance, preferring to focus on how her team gutted out that intense victory.
“I think for our whole team it was (a confidence-boosting match),” Bledsoe said. “A win like that is just really big. How close it was and the amount of pressure, I think for everyone it was a really big step. It was good to start off the season like that.”
After two more double-digit kill performances, she is fourth on the team with 49 kills for a 2.58 per set average, but where Bledsoe has shined is in her efficiency, which currently sits at a blistering .494 attacking percentage.
The player who bided her time waiting for this opportunity is clearly embarrassed when the discussion once again shifts to her personal performance.
“This is hard,” Bledsoe said after a few moments of trying to find the right words. “I don’t know. I think our team is just older and more experienced. I’m a junior now. Just spending more time in the program, you naturally gain more experience. You get more confident. I wouldn’t be able to do that without the help of my teammates. I definitely wouldn’t be able to get any kills if it wasn’t for the pass and the set.”
But her teammates aren’t afraid to speak volumes about how Bledsoe’s ascension has made this team more dangerous than ever.
“Lauren’s been great for us so far this season,” said senior Elyse Cusack. “She had a great weekend out in California and when she’s playing well, we’re playing well as a team. Hopefully, she can continue to keep it up.”
The biggest appreciation comes from her two setters, Murphy and Brynja Rodgers, who are ecstatic to have another powerful option to set up on attacks.
“Lauren has been a great option,” Murphy said. “Our outside has always been strong, but just having Lauren to go to, she’s done so well. She’s opened up a lot of seams and being able to find kills for herself gives us a lot of options.”
The Gators’ offensive options already gave opponents fits. Their newest option, Bledsoe, will give the opposition even more nightmares as she has also proven to be their most efficient attacker, a true cold-blooded killer on the court.
CUSACK HONORED: Elyse Cusack was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week a league-leading 10th time this past week.
She finished the week averaging 4.02 digs per set and 1.21 assists per set as the Gators defeated Florida State (3-2), No. 11 Stanford (3-2) and Pacific (3-1).
Cusack moved into the SEC’s top-five all-time for career digs, sitting at 1,713 for her career after the weekend. She has recorded double-digit kills in every match this season.
Cusack was given the weekly award a record four times last season