With eight freshmen on the Florida volleyball team, nearly half of UF's roster will get its first taste of postseason action tonight against Alabama State to open NCAA tournament play.
But coach Mary Wise sees her team’s youth as more of a benefit than a disadvantage.
“The beauty of having young players, they don’t know any different,” Wise said during Thursday’s practice.
“For them, it’s just another weekend.”
The Gators are looking to make a deep postseason run, further than last year when they made it to the NCAA Tournament Regional finals before losing in five sets to Texas.
While Florida is likely to lean on its veterans who already have valuable postseason experience, it will also be important to utilize its depth by calling on those younger players.
Rachael Kramer, a 6-foot-8 freshman middle blocker, will be one of the Gators taking part in her first playoff, but her current play exceeds her inexperience.
In her first collegiate season, Kramer notched a hitting percentage of .537, which would lead the nation if she qualified.
However, she didn’t have the minimum number of attacks.
Her middle blocking mentor, junior Rhamat Alhassan, is ranked sixth in the nation with a hitting percentage of .422.
“I’ve really tried to talk to Rhamat,” Kramer said.
“I’ve just tried to kind of pick her brain…but honestly, you gotta feel it for yourself.”
Florida will be tested from the opening serve, as they face a surging Alabama State team.
The Hornets are riding a 12-game win streak and went a perfect 18-0 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play.
So while the Gators are making sure that they focus on themselves, they're also learning as much as possible about their opponent.
“We’re focusing a little bit on Alabama State, a little bit on what we need to do that we’ve been working on this entire week,” Snyder said.
The winner of UF's match with Alabama State will return to the Lemerand Center on Saturday to play the winner of Cincinnati and Florida State when the two schools play today at 4:30.
The Gators' battle with the Hornets begins tonight at 7.
“Nothing can compare to this,” Kramer said.
“I just honestly can’t describe it.”
Contact Skyler Lebron at Slebron@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @SkylerLebron.
Rachael Kramer (right) attempts a block during Florida's 3-0 win over Jacksonville on Sept. 16, 2016, in the Lemerand Center.
