Seniors Betsy Smith, Tangerine Wiggs and Sundai Weston stepped onto the O’Connell Center floor for possibly the last time in their careers on Sunday.
Coming into the weekend, LSU (12-15, 8-10 Southeastern Conference) had more digs than any other Southeastern Conference team. But No. 16 Florida (22-4, 16-1) fought fire with fire to defeat the Tigers in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on Friday night to move one step closer to a conference title.
When South Carolina rolls into the O’Connell Center on Sunday, Florida could potentially wrap up its 20th Southeastern Conference championship on the same day Betsy Smith, Tangerine Wiggs and Sundai Weston are honored for Senior Day.
The Gators’ painful pattern of players’ plights will continue when they visit Missouri tonight at 7:30 p.m.
Thanks to Ziva Recek, the Gators have to make more room on their mantel.
After Ziva Recek’s 14th kill, Tennessee coach Rob Patrick screamed at his team to stay alert.
Last week, the most encouraging news coach Mary Wise had about Betsy Smith was that the team captain probably didn’t have a broken ankle.
The sight of Betsy Smith’s 6-foot-2 frame falling to the floor with a right ankle injury was not encouraging to coach Mary Wise. Smith, who injured her ankle during No. 13 Florida’s loss to No. 11 Florida State on Oct. 24, “some time away,” according to Wise.
Redshirt senior Tangerine Wiggs has made the most of her three rotations this season by racking up 165 kills, but Friday night she outperformed herself when she set a new school record in Florida’s 3-0 (25-11, 25-8, 25-11) win against Mississippi State.
Coach Mary Wise’s “down 2-0” speech isn’t magic.
For the second time in five matches, Florida fell behind 2-0. And, for the second time in five matches, Chloe Mann was at the center of the Gators’ come-from-behind win.
The Taylor Unroe of the past was nowhere to be found Friday night when the No. 11 Gators took on Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
The crowd at the O’Connell Center jeered and yelled, but Madison Monserez, mouth agape, couldn’t eke out a word.
Since the season began, coach Mary Wise has described No. 11 Florida as a grind-it-out team.
Even as Chloe Mann tied her career high with 20 kills in just three sets, the Gators’ defense stole the show.
When Florida’s top-two attackers hit their stride in the same match, opposing defenses have their hands full, coach Mary Wise said.
The No. 11 Gators are atop the Southeastern Conference at the midway point of the regular season partly because the communication on the court has improved from previous years, Betsy Smith said.
Coach Mary Wise said blocking is typically a veteran strength. Freshman Gabby Mallette didn’t get the memo.
Taylor Brauneis doesn’t mind dishing away the ball or the spotlight.
Solutions by The State News
