Undefeated in Southeastern Conference play last season, the Gators volleyball team had high expectations for their 2015 campaign.
But things didn’t go as planned.
Florida stumbled out of the gates to a 1-3 conference record, the first time since 1989 that they have lost that many conference games.
To reach that total so quickly this season was a shock that left many outside the program in disbelief. The program that had only lost ten SEC games in the entire 2000s decade had just lost three conference matches in a row.
However, the team knew that they were facing tough competition. The three teams Florida lost to — Kentucky, Missouri and Arkansas — have a combined record of 43-13.
But early in the season, it’s not the wins and losses that matter the most. It’s about seeing consistent improvement.
Every game.
Every practice.
Every play.
“This is where the SEC is,” coach Mary Wise said. You’ve got to have your ‘A’ game every single day because (of) the parity around women’s volleyball, and not just in the SEC, it’s all over the country.”
This weekend, Florida gets a shot at redemption.
Two of the Gators’ losses this season came in five set matches, one on the road against Arkansas and the other to Missouri. Florida will be playing the Razorbacks (13-5, 3-3 SEC) at home tonight at 7, while a matchup with the Tigers (17-2, 5-1 SEC) is slated for 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.
The sting of those early-season losses is still fresh on minds of the players, who are hoping to win the match without giving the other teams an opportunity to play a fifth set.
“Executing the game plan, for sure, is going to be one of those things and just knowing our opponents, and using what happened in the last matches against those teams and using that information and putting it to the test,” sophomore middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan said.
“I definitely think it’s something that we’re all working towards. Hopefully we won’t have to take it to five.”
The team’s resilience is something they’ve been able to hang their hats on.
“As the season goes on, teams start to gel. We start to figure things out. We change things that aren’t working,” Alhassan added.
“We want to be on the rise until the end of the season. We never want to plateau, we just want to keep going up.”
Follow Brian Lee on Twitter @brianlee_17
UF middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan swings for a kill attempt during Florida's 3-0 win against Texas A&M on Oct. 3, 2015, in the O'Connell Center.