The Gators’ painful pattern of players’ plights will continue when they visit Missouri tonight at 7:30 p.m.
A week before the season began, Florida lost sophomore Noami Santos-Lamb, the Gators’ only experienced outside hitter, to an ACL tear. Freshman outside hitter Jackie Swalchick has been limited to three appearances this year by a fractured left arm. Betsy Smith’s right ankle is still healing two weeks after she injured it.
Now, Gabby Mallette has hit the bench with an undisclosed injury. Mallette has not appeared in a match since Florida’s 3-0 win against Mississippi State on Oct. 26.
Wise has consistently been forced to tweak her lineup after losing a key player to injury every few weeks.
“It’s sort of been the theme of the 2012 season,” Wise said. “Just when you think you got the lineup solidified — it’s that time of the year.”
Wise said rather than expecting one individual to do the work, she has asked her healthy players to carry the burden as a team.
“What every team has to figure out is, ‘What is the depth on your bench?’” Wise said. “When we thought at one point we would have neither Betsy nor Gabby . . . we asked, ‘Could [the healthy players] combine for 5.5 points to get us to just hold serve while those guys are out?’”
Freshman Berkley Whaley started for the first time in two months when Mallette missed Florida’s match against Georgia.
In the past two matches, the Gators have witnessed the double-edged sword that is Whaley. Against the Bulldogs, she registered a .455 hitting percentage en route to another Southeastern Conference sweep. But on Sunday, Whaley hit a team-low -.222 and committed a season-high seven errors.
The 6-foot outside hitter said she can feel the extra weight on her shoulders, but added she can’t give in to the pressure.
“Pressure is always going to be there, but that’s part of the game,” she said. “You have to rise to the occasion, and you have to step up.”
Freshman Berkley Whaley sends the ball over the net during Florida’s 3-0 win against FGCU on Aug. 25 in the O’Connell Center.
