When Florida’s top-two attackers hit their stride in the same match, opposing defenses have their hands full, coach Mary Wise said.
Ziva Recek and Chloe Mann finished one and two in kills once again on Friday night to help No. 11 Florida (14-2, 8-0) claim its 36th-straight victory against Ole Miss (8-9, 2-6) in a three-set sweep (25-14, 25-12, 25-22).
Wise said the Slovenian freshman and the Gainesville junior, who combined for 23 of the Gators’ 36 kills, play with different but complementing styles that have helped propel Florida into the national top-20 kill rankings.
“[Chloe’s] contact point is so high,” Wise said. “She creates angles that you don’t see a whole lot in the women’s game. That’s why she’s so dangerous. Ziva’s contact point may not be as high as Chloe’s but . . . she’s playing well beyond her years as a freshman left-side player.”
Tangerine Wiggs became the only other Gator besides Mann and Recek to have led the team outright in kills in a match this season in Florida’s victory against Mississippi State on Sept. 30. Recek and Mann are ranked fourth and fifth respectively in the Southeastern Conference in kills, while no other school has more than one representative in the top ten.
Freshman Gabby Mallette said playing alongside Florida’s top-two attackers on the front line gives her and the team more motivation in matches.
“When Chloe and Ziva get their kills, we all go crazy because they just help so much, especially Chloe’s,” she said. “They’re always intense and hit hard. Whenever I’m playing next to her, I get really amped up so I think it helps all of us with our energy.”
Recek chalked up 17 kills in three sets while Mann went 6 for 8 in kill opportunities in just two sets, which gave her a team-high .750 hitting percentage on the night.
Mann said the entire team, not just her and Recek, deserve credit for her stats and the win on the night.
“I feel like every time we play, we’re literally all of us on the court are trying to find ways to score points for our team and that’s really what it’s all about,” she said.
