Last year, the Gators had five seniors in their starting lineup. Among those five were All-Americans Kelly Murphy and Kristy Jaeckel, who accounted for 43 percent of Florida's kills, 47 percent of assists and 48 percent of the team's service aces in 2011.
This year, Florida has seven freshmen.
"We start this year with a lot of new faces," coach Mary Wise said. "Every team changes year to year, even if you're just replacing one player, let alone two All-Americans, five starters and the like. We have a lot of good talent, just not a lot of returning college experience."
With the core of its team gone, Florida is left with three seniors who have to not only fill their shoes, but also lead the newest members.
However, Wise is confident that middle blocker Betsy Smith can handle the pressure.
"The leader of this team, and there is no question, is Betsy Smith," Wise said. "We've had some great leaders, but I don't know if we've ever had a player who was just so naturally gifted in that area the way Betsy is.
"If I had to hand-pick a senior to lead a team with so many new players, it would be Betsy."
Smith is excited to work with the freshman class, saying they bring a lot of energy to the court, which is something Florida has been trying to improve.
However, working with such a large group of new players isn't the biggest change for Smith. Instead, her biggest jump is becoming a more prominent player on the court.
"Last year I could kind of fly under the radar with the great seniors that we had," Smith said. "I know a lot of us upperclassmen are really going to have to step up and can't be under the radar anymore."
Despite their youth and the absence of the former star players, Wise says the Gators are ready to start their season on Friday.
"There are a lot of unknowns about this group, but the knowns are that all 16 of them were all here at the end of June during Summer B and that health-wise, we are in really good shape,î Wise said. "If it were up to them, we'd open up tonight."
Contact Katie Agostin at kagostin@alligator.org.
Senior middle blocker Betsy Smith combined with Tangerine Wiggs and Chloe Mann to record a season high in blocks per match. Florida defeated Louisiana Lafayette and Georgia Tech Saturday in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
