With five seniors and three juniors on the roster, the natural assumption would be that the No. 7 Gators are a top-heavy, veteran squad.
While Florida’s experienced players certainly do their part, the underclassmen have been just as important to UF’s 6-1 start.
Less-experienced Gators like redshirt freshman Taylor Unroe and sophomores Chloe Mann and Chanel Brown have all started matches this season.
Mann has been playing exceptionally well of late, racking up 15 of her 19 kills during last weekend’s Campus USA Credit Union Invite.
“It’s really exciting (to get more playing time),” Mann said.
“We all work hard and for it come through in matches is really nice to see.”
Her best performance came in her first career start, a 3-0 sweep of Clemson on Saturday, when she recorded nine kills and an .818 hitting percentage.
“She is the best jumper on the team,” Florida coach Mary Wise said Saturday. “She looked like an experienced player out there and she never looked lost.”
Mann’s efforts earned her a starting slot in Monday’s 3-2 loss to No. 17 Iowa State, a match that saw five underclassmen log significant playing time.
One player in particular who underwent a baptism by fire was freshman defensive specialist Madison Monserez, who appeared in the second, fourth and fifth sets against the Cyclones.
“It’s so hard to go in a situation like that, and I think [the underclassmen] did such an awesome job of being composed,” junior Tangerine Wiggs said. “They never made us nervous and we were confident in them.”
Unroe receives honor: Unroe, the Gators’ redshirt freshman libero, was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week on Tuesday for her play against No. 24 Florida State, as well as her efforts against Florida Atlantic, Jacksonville, and Clemson in last weekend’s tournament.
In those four matches Unroe totaled nine assists and 44 digs en route to four consecutive three-set victories.
Overall, Unroe leads Florida with 80 digs, averaging 3.48 per set, and ranks third on the team with 17 assists.
After redshirting last season because of a broken bone in her ankle, Unroe is making up for lost time, as she is one of only four Gators to play in all 23 sets this season.
UF to play in California: The Gators will play their third and fourth ranked opponents of the season in this weekend’s NIKE Big Four Classic in Palo Alto, Calif.
“It won’t get any easier now going on the road,” Wise said. “It will feel very different in terms of that road mentality. … We could have used a little road mentality (Monday). Iowa State came in with it.”
Florida will play No. 10 Texas Friday and then face off on Saturday against either No. 2 Penn State or the tournament host, No. 3 Stanford.
“Games like this are what make us better — games where we’re tested and we see where we need to get better as a team,” Wiggs said.
Florida defensive specialist Taylor Unroe (55) was named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week on Tuesday after recording nine assists in 44 digs in four Gators wins last week.
