It was the best birthday present assistant coach Dave Boos could ever ask for.
With his team leading 14-12 in a decisive fifth set, juniors Kelly Murphy and Cassandra Anderson leaped in the air and sent the attack of Nebraska outside hitter Hannah Werth plummeting back to the floor, lifting the No. 6 Gators to a victory over the then-No. 2 Huskers and their first win against a top-two team since 2003.
“We joked beforehand that the team was going to win the match for my birthday,” Boos said. “It was really nice to be able to have the team play so well that day.”
Sunday’s victory was significant for Boos due to more than just timing. His newly installed defense led to not just the win over Nebraska but also Saturday’s victory against Iowa State.
Despite not boasting a player taller than 6-foot-2, the Gators out blocked a Nebraska team featuring 6-foot-5 Morgan Broekhuis, 6-foot-5 Lindsey Licht, 6-foot-4 Brooke Delano and 6-foot-3 Allison McNeal by a count of 14 to 9.
In its three most recent matches against Nebraska, UF had never come within seven blocks of the Huskers.
“That was one of the key statistics and we’ve seen it year in and year out in volleyball,” UF coach Mary Wise said. “Blocking is one of the really key skills needed to play at an elite level.”
Boos joined the program in the offseason to try to help the Gators excel in this crucial area, and the switch to his system appears to be paying immediate dividends.
Although a number of schools run a variation of the scheme Boos employs, very few, if any, do it exactly like he does.
“It’s basically a way to have the front court and back court be very coordinated together as a defense,” Boos said. “It allows us to take calculated blocking risks during a match, and this weekend I thought that the players did a fantastic job of executing what the gameplan was.”
Although the players and coaches agree there is still plenty of room for improvement as the season progresses, Florida’s 2-0 showing at the Runza/American Volleyball Coaches Association Showcase proves the system has the potential to be everything the team hoped it would.
“When the whole thing starts clicking together we should have six people responding as a unit, and that’s the ultimate goal by the end of the season,” Boos said.
Returning middle blockers Lauren Bledsoe and Anderson may have the most difficult time making the transition, as the pair is now expected to read the other team’s attack and coordinate UF’s response, both of which are responsibilities they didn’t have to worry about last season.
But Florida’s two starters have taken the new challenges in stride. And after such a successful opening tournament, they have no doubts that the move was a smart one.
“I think everyone is responding to it really well, and after seeing it this weekend it completely makes sense,” Bledsoe said. “Nobody has any problems following along and jumping on board with it.”
Anderson has been a consistent force at middle blocker over her first two years, leading the team in blocks both seasons.
Bledsoe, on the other hand, is relatively new to the middle blocker position after spending the majority of her time at outside hitter last season.
Her first match on the interior came on Nov. 20 against Tennessee, when Florida had just four matches left in its regular season.
Bledsoe seized the opportunity, recording 45 kills, four solo blocks and 18 block assists in her final seven contests while earning a full-time spot at middle blocker in 2010.
After a full offseason of work at the position, Bledsoe expects her play to be even stronger than it was last year.
“It definitely helps to have one position and to have something to really focus on,” she said. “To be able to work on just one thing versus everything will always help.”
