At the Nike Big Four Classic, the Gators had a couple of big fives out on the court.
No. 7 Florida (7-2) split two five-set matches this weekend in Palo Alto, Calif., taking down No. 10 Texas (3-3) on Friday and falling to No. 3 Stanford (6-0) on Saturday.
This, of course, came just days after Monday’s home loss to No. 17 Iowa State, which also went the distance.
The 3-2 (25-22, 20-25, 25-13, 21-25, 15-12) victory against the Longhorns was the Gators’ sole triumph of the week, but it was not without its flaws.
Florida recorded a .210 hitting percentage — its lowest mark of the season — and racked up a season-high 31 errors against Texas.
However, despite those poor numbers from the Gators, the Longhorns managed to perform even worse, posting a dismal .164 hitting percentage.
UF won the kill battle, putting up a final tally of 64 compared to just 52 for UT.
Leading the attack for Florida with double-doubles were seniors Kristy Jaeckel (15 attacks, 17 digs) and Kelly Murphy (12 kills, 30 assists).
But that was just the beginning of a stellar weekend for the senior duo.
In the 3-2 (17-25, 20-25, 25-20, 25-21, 13-15) loss to the Cardinal, each managed to build on their numbers from the previous contest.
Jaeckel racked up 20 kills and 16 digs while Murphy recorded her 24th career triple-double with 14 kills, 29 assists and 10 digs against Stanford.
Thanks to their respective statistical field days, Jaeckel and Murphy were both named to the Nike Big Four Classic All-Tournament Team.
While Jaeckel and Murphy were the Gators’ cornerstones throughout the weekend, it was not just a two-woman show for the orange and blue.
Redshirt freshman libero Taylor Unroe recorded 42 digs — including a career-high 22 against the Cardinal — on the weekend, rebounding from her rough performance against the Cyclones on Labor Day.
Sophomore Chanel Brown turned out 52 assists in two strong showings while junior Tangerine Wiggs posted a career-high 18 kills against Stanford.
Three consecutive five-set matches last week marks a sudden left turn for the Gators, who began the season by defeating each of their first six opponents in straight sets.
“We could just schedule our way to wins,” UF coach Mary Wise said last week. “But I don’t know if we would get better without playing these types of teams.”
The Gators will kick off their Southeastern Conference schedule with a date at Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss., on Friday night.
