Ziva Recek has not seen much time on the court this season.
With a roster that holds four outside hitters, Florida is bound to have issues subbing in all of its players in one match.
Two of those four outside hitters making a big impact for Florida are Noami Santos-Lamb and Carli Snyder, who have become integral in Florida’s rotation and as a result has limited Recek’s time on the court.
While it may not be ideal for Recek, it does put into perspective the amount of depth this Florida squad has and it will be on display when No. 7 Florida (5-2) goes head-to-head in it’s two home matches for the weekend against Marquette (6-3) tonight and Central Florida (7-3) on Sunday.
In 2013, the Slovenian had a larger role on the team, ending the year as a "Volleyball Magazine’s" Third Team All American and ranking seventh in the Southeastern Conference in double-doubles.
But now she is sharing more of her time with Santos-Lamb and Snyder – both of whom are known for their strength behind the ball.
"We think the depth is one of the strengths of our team, to be able to use that," coach Mary Wise said. "It would be nice if there were unlimited basketball substitutions of our game, but we are limited and as a matter of fact on Tuesday, I think the second set, we had run out. We think the depth, whether it’s Holly in the libero jersey or Taylor, that gives us different looks."
Santos-Lamb is coming off of an ACL tear that occurred during the 2013 preseason; however, when she returned a year later she only played in 16 matches and a total of 28 sets.
The Florida squad is now using Santos-Lamb for her ability to block and make fast, hard kills against her opponents. She has 54 kills so far this season.
On the other hand, Snyder, the 6 foot tall freshman, has been given significant time on the court.
Her ability to put power behind the ball with few errors has helped put her in the starting position for three of the seven games she’s played in.
Snyder has 54 kills in seven matches and 23 sets with only 19 errors on 133 attempts.
The Macomb, Mich., native was best known in high school for taking over games with her ability to both block and make efficient kills.
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Ziva Recek serves during Florida's 3-1 loss to Texas on Sept. 6.
