After every game, Florida's volleyball team forms a circle and stretches. For most players, this is a mindless routine; but for Holly Pole, it often serves as a moment of reflection.
"I just kind of look around, and I'm amazed at the fact that this is truly where I ended up," the freshman defensive specialist said.
Growing up about 45 minutes away in Ocala, Pole watched her brother and sister graduate from Florida and decided it was where she wanted to be, whether it was as a volleyball player or just another student majoring in sports management.
Juggling the idea of being a college athlete, Pole looked at other schools and contemplated whether she wanted to play volleyball past her time at Vanguard High. Then, UF coach Mary Wise opened a door the 2010 all-state selection had fantasized about.
"When Mary emailed me, it was pretty much like a dream," Pole said. "It was the best of both worlds for me. It was an easy decision."
The offer was to be a preferred walk-on, and Pole happily accepted.
"When I first saw her play locally, I thought ‘She's a baller,'" Wise said. "She has a toughness about her."
Her mental and physical strength would be tested to no ends during her senior year at Vanguard.
First, Pole - an International Baccalaureate student - decided to graduate high school in December to get a jump start on Florida's other three incoming freshmen.
"Often coaches want people to come in early, but a lot of us have a connection to our friends in high school," junior Tangerine Wiggs said.
"Holly made a really big decision with her family."
But the extra semester of experience wasn't quite as beneficial as Pole might have hoped. She missed a large portion of her senior season due to a viral infection and then was forced to have knee surgery for an injury stemming from her junior basketball season.
"It was rough to say the least," Pole said. "The first practice here [in January] was the first physical activity I had done in three months. ... It's not an ideal situation to come into a Division-I school and play volleyball for the first time in months."
Starting from scratch both in the weight room and on the court, Pole was able to merge into Florida's system and position herself for a contributing role as a freshman.
Wise pointed to Pole and freshman defensive specialist Madison Monserez as two players who give Florida the depth it will need as it opens Southeastern Conference play tonight at 8 against Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss.
On the court, Pole is one of nine Gators to see time in every game this season, and she has contributed five digs in the backcourt.
"We don't really consider Holly a freshman," Wiggs said. "She has an upperclassman mentality."
That mindset has given Pole a unique role among her fellow first-year players.
"She is the mother of the freshman group," Wise said. "If you see Holly, the other three are not far behind."
Gators defensive specialist Holly Pole is one of several freshmen making an immediate impact for the Florida volleyball team.
