Stephanie Ferrell didn’t take a single swing in the third set.
Florida’s senior outside hitter primarily watched as the Gators battled back from a rare four-point deficit to close out a third consecutive sweep. Her contributions weren’t entirely necessary, because the damage had already been done.
Ferrell had seven kills and hit .455 to help lead No. 17 Florida (24-5, 17-3 Southeastern Conference) to a straight-set (25-14, 15-16, 15-20) victory against South Carolina (14-16, 5-15 SEC) to conclude the regular season.
“We played great tonight,” Ferrell said. “We wanted to finish the season strong and go into the NCAAs with momentum.”
On a night when all of the talk was on the upcoming NCAA Tournament, it was those Gators who will be enjoying their final postseason that carried a majority of the load.
Seniors Kelly Murphy and Kristy Jaeckel combined for 20 kills and 12 digs, a sign of how balanced the two weapons have been for UF this season. Murphy was also part of a strong passing game for the Gators during her rotations at setter. Along with fellow setter Chanel Brown, Murphy helped fuel a versatile Florida offense that saw six players record at least five kills.
“It comes easy when we have such amazing hitters and we’re so dominant all across the board,” Brown said. “We really found our middles tonight and again Chloe [Mann] had a great game.”
Mann, Florida’s 6-foot-1 sophomore middle blocker and latest breakout star, had yet another efficient performance, something that has become a norm since she became a starter late in the season. Against South Carolina, Mann hit .636 with seven kills and three blocks.
Coach Mary Wise had emphasized Florida’s last three SEC games as an opportunity to build confidence and pad the team’s résumé for the NCAA selection committee. She called Wednesday night a “pretty good exclamation point.”
“Especially offensively, right now we lead the nation in our hitting efficiency and tonight was no different,” Wise said.
The Gators outhit the Gamecocks .457 to .105 but that was made closer by a lackluster third set for Florida. UF outhit South Carolina .583 to .040 and .481 to .030 in sets one and two, respectively. For the second game in a row, an overmatched opponent already eliminated from postseason contention gave the Gators a tough third set.
“They come out with nothing to lose,” Brown said. “They’re giving out everything they have on the court. It’s making us better as a team having them fight so hard and making us fight harder to get back.”
With the win in the background, Wise immediately turned her attention to Sunday’s NCAA Tournament selection. With her team ranked No. 17, this will be one of the Gators’ more interesting seedings in recent memory.
“We played a terrific schedule, and I think the team should be rewarded for it,” Wise said. “Now we’ll just wait until Sunday and see if the committee feels the same.”
