If depth were money, Florida volleyball would be rich.
On Sunday afternoon, the Gators (16-3, 10-0 Southeastern Conference) continued their dominance in the SEC with another sweep of the Mississippi State Bulldogs (6-19, 1-9 SEC) in the O’Connell Center.
In its win, Florida played all but two players — defensive specialists Nikki O’Rourke and Lindsey Rogers — on its 17-player roster.
Coach Mary Wise attributed Florida’s ability to rotate more players into the game to the defense.
Florida libero Holly Pole and defensive specialists Taylor Unroe and Maddy Monserez totaled 29 of the Gators’ 41 digs for the day while also putting up four of UF’s eight service aces.
"In a match where we got to play a lot of different players, the key to us being able to do that was the play of our seniors," Wise said. "Holly, Taylor and Maddy did such a good job in the back row. Serving, passing, defending: it allowed us to play any combination of players in the front row. That hasn’t always been the case, where we have the luxury to do that."
Pole finished the match with two aces and 11 digs. Unroe totaled 14 digs — the most for her since Florida’s five-set win over Oklahoma on Aug. 30 — and Monserez had four digs and two service aces.
With the defense’s ability to make solid plays, Florida utilized its depth to pull away from Mississippi State.
Freshman setter Abby Detering subbed in for Mackenzie Dagostino in the last seven plays of the first set, marking her first time competing in a match since facing Mississippi State on Oct. 5.
"I was very comfortable this time," Detering said. "The first time I went in I was a little scared, you know you get those nerves when you first get on that court, but I think coming around the second time I was very calm"
In the three sets the freshman played — seeing limited time in each — she recorded eight assists and two digs.
Detering has played a total of five sets on the year but is expected to become the starting setter after Dagostino, a junior, graduates.
Detering was recruited specifically so Florida would have a two-year age gap between its setters to allow them to learn the system before starting.
"Abby continues to amaze us in terms of her improvement and looked so good out there today," Wise said. "The last time she played Mississippi State you could see the nerves got in the way. I don’t even think she remembered some of it, and it’s gonna happen as a freshman, her poise, the delivery, her choices, really nice job, she’s a player with a future."
To add to the freshman lineup, Wise put freshman defensive specialist Sam Dubiel in for the last two sets of the match.
The freshman has only seen four sets this season — she last played in Florida’s 3-0 win over then-No. 19 Texas A&M.
Dubiel, who is known for her float serve, only picked up one dig while on the court, but had the opportunity to practice her serve.
"I started off with the jump float, but I couldn’t do it because of an ab injury," Dubiel said, "but I’ve been really trying to work on a shorter serve. Working around something that’s not as powerful but just really focused on the location of it."
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Abby Detering sets the ball during Florida's 3-0 win against Mississippi State on Sunday in the O'Connell Center
