Florida’s goal against South Carolina on Wednesday night was very simple: go for the sweep.
“My concern was don’t go past three sets because our players are just absolutely gassed,” UF coach Mary Wise said.
The No. 13 Gators (16-3, 9-1 Southeastern Conference) took care of their top priority, sweeping a Southeastern Conference opponent (25-13, 25-18, 25-23) for the seventh straight game.
For two sets, Florida was as efficient as it has been all season.
In the game’s opening set, UF registered a .717 to .000 advantage in hitting percentage.
Junior middle blocker Betsy Smith continued her reign as the most accurate hitter in the SEC, registering 10 kills on 11 swings for a .909 hitting percentage.
“Maybe the most improved player in our program from last year to this year is Betsy Smith,” Wise said.
“It’s really fun for us as coaches to watch her.”
But it was a familiar face that continued the team’s most impressive streak.
For the 14th game in a row, senior outside hitter Kristy Jaeckel picked up double-digit kills. However, it was her powerful serving that ultimately made the biggest impact against the Gamecocks (10-10, 1-9 SEC).
Jaeckel tied a career-high with seven service aces, including a resounding strike on match point.
“She had great tosses and was ripping the ball,” Wise said. “It was absolutely perfect that match point was Kristy’s ace serve.”
Through two sets, Florida only had two attack errors. But for the previous three games, Florida shined the brightest in third sets, a factor of feeling out the opponent to open the game and then striking aggressively after the game’s 10-minute intermission.
Wednesday night saw the exact opposite happen.
“Fatigue was the No. 1 factor there,“ Wise said. “Our players are absolutely gassed from the travel.”
Coming off a weekend road trip, the Gators had a brief amount of time in Gainesville before making the trip to Columbia, S.C., for a rare midweek game.
According to Wise, the result was a third set in which the Gators suffered six attack errors.
But backcourt defense and Jaeckel’s serving exhibition helped them through it in a narrow, come-from-behind victory.
“Usually when you’re real tired you’re going to see it especially in the serving,” Wise said.
“Obviously that wasn’t the case for Kristy Jaeckel.”
Once again, Florida accomplished the somewhat rare feat of both out-blocking and out-digging its opponent.
Eight different players recorded a total of 47 digs for the Gators on Wednesday, including a season-high 11 for freshman defensive specialist Madison Monserez.
Senior Kelly Murphy ended the game two kills and one dig away from a triple-double, but was still commended by Wise for another well-rounded performance.
“That’s what we’re looking for,” she said. “It’s all about can our team get better from month to month, and clearly we’ve done that.”
Senior outside hitter Kristy Jaeckel lifted the Gators with 10 kills and seven service aces in UF’s 3-0 win against South Carolina.
