Saturday afternoon may have just been an exhibition match, but it gave Gator Nation a real glimpse at what could be in store for its volleyball team this year.
The Gators took the five-set contest with ease, winning four sets to UCF’s one in dominant fashion (25-16, 25-17, 20-25, 25-21, 15-7). The final frame was played just for experience despite UF claiming the victory after four in its dress rehearsal at the O’Connell Center.
The season officially begins this weekend at the Cardinal Classic in Louisville, Kentucky, where the Gators will play No. 25 Louisville on Friday and Dayton on Saturday.
But while many might have paid attention to the big swings and scrappy plays on the court in front of them, some fans may have missed some of the other intricacies that happened on the court over the weekend.
Here are three takeaways from the Gators’ exhibition match against the Knights:
Thayer Hall is back
An undisclosed injury sidelined then-freshman superstar Thayer Hall for seven matches toward the end of last season, but Hall showed no handicaps in Saturday’s exhibition match as she led the leaderboards.
The sophomore outside hitter played for a majority of the match, only missing parts of two sets.
Hall led the offense for her team logging 16 kills on 35 swings that afternoon, coming in second overall on the leaderboard behind UCF’s McKenna Melville (17). Hall’s three attacking errors were the only blemish on her statline.
Last season, Hall finished second on the roster for kills (288) behind then-redshirt sophomore transfer Holly Carlton.
And now she says that she feels more comfortable after spending a year with the program.
“I came in early last year, but there’s nothing that can really prepare you to hit that brick wall of the first season with academics, sports, travel, all of that coming together,” the pin hitter said Thursday afternoon. “Now, I know what to expect, and I know what’s coming.”
Mixing it up in the back row
Senior libero Allie Gregory was a mainstay in last season’s defense, always donning the different colored jersey from one match to the next.
But that simply wasn’t the case Saturday afternoon as the libero jersey was passed around the back row.
Gregory was libero for three of the five sets, but the other two sets saw sophomores Paula Cerame and Riley Fischer wearing the black jersey among a sea of off-white jerseys on the court.
The trio combined for 35 digs that afternoon with Gregory leading the charge at 16 digs in four sets. It’s likely Gregory will lead the defense like she did last season, but it was nice to see Florida’s depth paying off.
Sticking with the 5-1 offense
It’s typical for setters to fly under the radar in terms of prominence on their respective team. They don’t get the big swings or diving plays that their teammates do, but they have one of the most important roles on the court: running the entire offense.
They’re the equivalent to quarterbacks, constantly making decisions and tracking every play to get the point. It’s hit or miss, but the good ones usually get things right.
Such was the case for Marlie Monserez Saturday afternoon.
After spending last season paired up in a 6-2 offense with her older sister, Allie Monserez, the younger Monserez has come into her own, controlling the Gators offense with ease.
Monserez’s 6-foot frame and defensive skills are two huge assets to this 5-1 system. She puts up a big block on the pin against the outside hitters and stays in position for the incoming attack from the opposing right-side pin, before she releases to the net for the second touch.
With Monserez operating out of the front row every three rotations this season, it also opens up more options for the middle hitters, who can now hit off the right-side pin in behind-the-back plays more easily than before.
Follow Mari Faiello on Twitter @faiello_mari. Contact her at mfaiello@alligator.org.
Sophomore setter Marlie Monserez is a big threat on the defensive front when it comes to plays at the net. Monserez tied for first on the roster in blocks during the exhibition match against UCF tallying five on the afternoon.
