Associate coach Dave Boos said Florida’s back-row defense has made up for the front row’s mistakes this season. But on Sunday against Ole Miss, the Gators finally delivered at the net.
Behind a season-high 15 blocks, No. 3 Florida took down Ole Miss in three sets (25-13, 25-22, 25-12) in Oxford, Miss.
The Gators, who came into the weekend ranked 88th in the country in stuffs per set with 2.35, quickly shut down the Rebels’ offensive attack by recording eight blocks in the first set alone.
Coach Mary Wise said the blocking effort early in the match and the preparation before the game allowed her squad to become more comfortable in an intimidating road environment.
“We really set the tempo of the match with how well we blocked in the first set,” Wise said. “You could really trace our success back to our practice on Saturday. What you can’t do is wait until match time to understand how quick [the Rebels] are.”
Ole Miss middle blockers Nakeyta Clair and Ty Laporte earned spots on the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman team last year, and Florida blocked just four balls on Friday night during its sweep of Mississippi State. Considering the disadvantage on paper, UF needed its middle blockers to step up Sunday.
Chloe Mann and Simone Antwi combined for seven of the Gators’ 15 blocks against the Rebels, who managed only two total blocks in the match.
Clair and Laporte, who combined to average just fewer than two stuffs per set last year, were held to a combined one-block performance on their own floor.
Because Florida (13-1, 2-0 SEC) shut down Ole Miss’ (10-5, 0-2 SEC) 6-foot-1 and 6-foot middle blockers, the Gators’ back row saw the ball better and passed more efficiently to setter Taylor Brauneis.
Wise said defensive specialist Holly Pole had a breakout performance Sunday. Pole’s volleyball IQ helped her anticipate and predict the Rebels’ play calls.
“She’s seeing the game at a different level,” Wise said. “And what I mean by that is she sees the play before is hit, and she puts herself in such great position.”
Pole, one of three junior defensive specialists for Florida, also proved that she can help score points for the Gators with her play behind the service line.
In the third set with Florida trailing 5-4, Pole began a service run that did not end until the Gators were up 10-5. UF did not give up the lead for the remainder of the match.
Although the statistics show only Pole’s two service errors, Wise said the defensive specialist’s game goes beyond what one sees on paper.
“It won’t come up on the box score,” Wise said. “(But) one of the stats we keep track of is what rotations are our best point scoring rotations. We’re going to be able to run some points off of her serve.”
Follow Jonathan Czupryn on Twitter @jczupryn.
Florida sophomore defensive specialist Holly Pole celebrates during a match in 2011.
