Last season, she was the freshman phenom that was nervous about seeing her name in the starting line up.
This season, she’s just ready to get on the court and play.
Right-side hitter Alex Holston, one of Florida’s biggest recruits in 2013, showed Florida fans, teammates and coaches exactly why she was ranked No. 9 by PrepVolleyball’s Senior Aces list.
With a list of accolades including AVCA All-Region, Southeastern Conference-All Freshman Team and All-SEC Team, Holston set the bar high for incoming freshmen.
But with her first season in the record books, Holston is looking to improve on her rookie year.
“From a successful freshman season, I always want to do better and take a step up,’ Holston said.
The Olney, Md., native came to Florida as the school’s first top-10 recruit since 2008 when Kelly Murphy joined the team.
Holston passed up offers from 46 other schools not knowing if she would even make the starting lineup.
“Last year I was really nervous, I didn’t know I was going to play,” Holston said. “I was just happy to be here and happy to be practicing with the Florida team.”
When it was time to announce the lineup for the season opening against New Orleans on Aug. 30, 2013, Holston couldn’t believe her eyes.
“When she (Mary Wise) announces the starters it’s literally right before the game, so you really don’t know if you’re playing,” Holston said. “Last year, my heart was beating so fast when I saw my number on the board. I just didn’t know what to do.”
Even nervous and not knowing what to do, Holston completed her first season opening weekend against New Orleans and LIU-Brooklyn with 14 kills on a .393 offensive clip and six blocks.
At the end of the season, she started in 18 of 32 matches, made 55 blocks and was third on the team with 286 kills.
With her nerves in check, Holston reiterates her original message: she’s just ready to play.
“We’re all just excited to get out there and play, like every team,” she said. “We always want to play tough teams, we never want to go in and just have a day. We know that no teams is like having a day off though.”
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Alex Holston swings at the ball during Florida's 3-0 win against Tennessee on Oct. 27 in the O'Connell Center.
