Three years after taking a leap of faith, Tangerine Wiggs is still trying to stick the landing.
After playing in only 10 sets at Washington State in 2009, she transferred to play under coach Mary Wise and a perennial national title contender at Florida. Now, as a redshirt senior, Wiggs wants more desperately than ever to grab glory before she graduates.
“The hardest decision I ever made was transferring,” she said. “I’ll forever be indebted to Mary. She took a chance on me – she never saw me play. It really took a huge leap of faith going into the unknown.”
The 6-foot-4 right-side hitter has done everything she can this season to help her squad succeed. She leads the Southeastern Conference with a .465 hitting clip while also racking up 19 blocks.
Wise said Wiggs is playing the best volleyball of her career, which has helped UF climb to a No. 12 national ranking.
“She’s at the strongest point in her career,” Wise said. “She’s, health-wise, in good position. And she’s playing like a senior, where everything she’s doing is dedicated to our team performance and winning now. You see that sense of urgency in her.”
The Gators last captured an SEC title in 2010, which was Wiggs’ first year at Florida. After losing All-Americans Kristy Jaeckel and Kelly Murphy as well as three other seniors in the offseason, Wiggs said she believes this young team has a chance get back on top and end her career on a high note.
“We’re taking the steps, we’re doing things we need to do to be playing our best volleyball in December,” she said.
At this point last year, the Seattle native was hitting nearly 100 points lower than she is now. She has cut down from 20 attack errors to 14. Wise said Wiggs’ transformation has taken a few years of hard work but is paying off in her third and final year as a Gator.
“I think the biggest difference is that Tang could kill balls, but all the stars had to line up for that to happen,” Wise said. “Now her jump reach is higher, her strength base is better (and) her volleyball IQ has improved. She’s playing like a fifth-year senior.”
Wiggs’ has never finished a season with a hitting clip higher than .319 or as one of the Gators’ top-three attackers. So far this season, she’s doing both while also maintaining her role as one of the squad’s premier blockers.
Rather than focusing on the numbers, Wiggs said the team is determined to send the seniors out with an SEC Championship and a trip to Louisville, Ky., for one last shot at a national title.
“It’s bizarre thinking that every game I play it’s going to be the last time I’m going to play this team,” she said. “It’s sad, but at the same time it’s really exciting. So I just want to do the best I can to go out with a bang.”
Senior Tangerine Wiggs spikes the ball over the net during a match against Missouri on Friday at Stephen C. O'Connell Center. The Gators defeated the Tigers 3-0.
