Florida volleyball coach Mary Wise walked into her team’s practice facility one day over the summer and saw an elaborate practice plan drawn out. Clueless to who may have crafted the lengthy workout, the veteran coach thought a local club team was really pushing itself.
“Somebody’s going to be in here for a while,” she thought.
Come to find out, the plans were actually Wise’s introduction to her newest leadership group, a five-deep senior class that is emphasizing leading by example in lieu of last year’s more vocal veterans.
“That’s what our seniors did this summer,” Wise said. “Not only were they in here playing, but they were doing it in an organized practice setting that the seniors ran. We’ve never had that before.”
During media day Wednesday, every player talked specifically about the loss of outside hitter and vocal leader Callie Rivers, a player whose voice filled the gym on a daily basis her senior year.
“Callie is irreplaceable,” junior Sundai Weston said. “She’s someone I’ll always admire for her leadership and what she brought to the table.”
In a way, Wise agreed. Florida’s longtime coach talked about her seniors combining to fill the void left by the departure of Rivers’ vocally incessant nature.
“It’d take a lot more than five [to replace Rivers],” she said. “What we ask of our seniors every year is that they provide the leadership.”
Wise and seniors Cassandra Anderson and Elissa Hausmann all said outside hitter Kristy Jaeckel has developed into the most Rivers-like individual on the team.
As Florida’s oldest player, teammates jokingly refer to Jaeckel as “Grandma” and said they are excited to see the improvements she’s made in her game for this season.
“We’ve been so lucky to have all of us here all summer,” Jaeckel said. “We’ve really developed a chemistry where we feel more comfortable holding each other accountable as a team.”
So while the O’Connell Center court may be a little quieter this year, nobody seems too worried.
Preseason All-SEC selection Kristy Jaeckel, a senior, is being counted on to fill a leadership role after the departure of Callie Rivers.
