(VB) Ongoing Volleyball Thread

Whoa! Gators win, but in 5 against USF. Great win last night against #8 PSU, and now a nice 2 win weekend. We’ll more than take it. Go Gators!

 

Really ugly at times, they kept just hitting into the block and getting stuffed, took them forever to adjust. And then in the third when they were taking control of the match up five late, gave up a 10-1 run to lose the set. Forced them to win the last 2.
Late on block rotations too. And they need offense from the middle, or we will be scouted quickly, especially with the schedule we have coming up.
But they did find a way on the road, which is always a good thing.

 

Strange box score, Essex and Hutson only played in 3 sets.

 

It was ugly. If not for Kennedy and Anna, we would have been toast.
My most burning question is, who is the lady in the blue Gator Coat who has just shown up and is talking to the players, sometimes one-on-one?
And, who is the tall lady in all black who has shown up out of the blue?
I have never seen either one of them.

 

Hutson was on the sidelines wearing a sling for the last two sets.

 

Anything serious or just precautionary? She had such a fine match against PSU. There was no mention of injury in the floridagators.com article.

What about Essex only playing 3 sets? Maybe Mary was trying to develop the depth and USF put up a good effort to extend to 5 sets. Can't have too much ready to go depth. You can bet Stanford plays a deep bench just like the last time UF played them in Gainesville.

No, I didn't watch, don't have ESPN+.

 

I love Gabby, but last night was not her best night. Anytime Stuckey set her, she just slapped at the ball with no power.
She had 3 kills and hit .167. Of course, she was not the only one.

 

Seems like the players may have taken USF for granted and it almost bit UF on the butt. At least CMW sent them, Essex and Hutson, to the bench for poor performance. The bench can be a coach's best friend. Either give your best effort or go sit down.

 

Kira had ice on her right shoulder the last two sets. I hope it is not serious.

 

I missed watching the Penn State match live but watched it today. Saw sets 2 thru 5 versus USF live yesterday.

My hot take.

Lots of young talent with the Gators that has yet to gel as a team. Kennedy Martin is an incredible talent. Hutson also shows a lot of promise. As the team gels the block will get better and better. It is pretty good right now.

Penn State is maybe a bit over-rated but one of the better 0-2 teams I have ever seen.

USF played out of their minds for four sets and Florida was in a trap game on the other team's home court. Really good composure for such a young Gator team to grind out the win. Stanford on their floor will be a mountain to climb.

 

If you have the ESPN App on your phone, you have ESPN+. I you want to watch it, look at the bottom of the screen and click on ESPN+. Scroll down to Sports and over to VB and click on that.
Scroll down to On Demand, and scroll over until you see our match. USF shows first, Penn St. quite a ways over.
If you have an iPhone (I don't know Android), you can mirror from the phone to the TV. I am sure you can do it on Android, too.
I hope that helps.

 

Cannot do this on my TV, YouTube TV/Amazon 4K Firestick, without subscribing to ESPN+.

 

I have Disney+, Hulu (limited), and ESPN+ for $19.99/month. To me it is worth it as you can watch live, and watch replays anytime.

 

The state of Florida has 24 collegiate Beach Volleyball programs, of which 7 are Division 1. In the SEC, South Carolina, LSU and (upcoming member) Texas have Beach Volleyball programs. If Florida adds Beach Volleyball, then the SEC would sponsor a Beach Volleyball Championship. Along with California, Florida is the hotbed in the US for the sport. It's a win-win for UF to add Beach Volleyball.

 

I watched the whole match. Flashback of the 1974 Sugar Bowl vs Nebraska when we were screwed over by the ref's call that cost us the game. Add the 1995 Championship and 2017 NCAA Volleyball Championship match, I loathe Nebraska almost as much as Georgia and the 'Holes. I've relished the Huskers' football demise and its fanbase's long suffering as they keep keep firing their football coaches in a desperate and futile attempt to bring back the glory years.

 

Gator volleyball #8 in this week’s poll.

 

And a chance to go higher in the rankings with a win against the tree tonight.

 

YouTube TV doesn't offer the PAC 12 Network. The ACC, B1G, and SEC Networks are good to go, but not the PAC 12 Network. Poor leadership probably explains why the conference has fallen apart, that and trusting the B1G to a fault.

 

I don't watch ESPN anymore except for our games, but my daughter let me know that we were in the top ten plays:

 

Martin Named AVCA Division I Player of the Week
She becomes the first Florida freshman to win the award after the first weekend of play


GAINESVILLE, Fla. – For her stellar offensive performances this past weekend, freshman right side hitter Kennedy Martin was named this week’s GameChanger/AVCA Division I Player of the Week, as the organization announced Tuesday afternoon.


Martin becomes just the fifth Florida freshman to earn the distinction, joining the ranks of Alexis Stucky (2022), Rhamat Alhassan (2014), Kelly Murphy (2008) and Elyse Cusak (2006).


The Fort Mill, S.C. native is the first Florida freshman to earn the honor after their first weekend of play and it comes off the heels of her earning both SEC Player of the Week and SEC Offensive Player of the Week accolades.


Over the course of the weekend, Martin averaged 5.00 kills per set, 1.44 digs per set, 1.22 blocks per set, 0.22 aces per set, 5.83 points per set and a .379 clip.


Against the then-No. 8 Penn State Nittany Lions, Martin posted 18 kills in her collegiate debut. That went along with 11 digs to give her her first career double-double. The freshman also posted five blocks in the win en route to 20.5 points.


Martin was one half of the freshman duo (Kira Hutson – 14 kills) that was the first pair to record 30+ kills in a collegiate debut in program history.


Against South Florida, the Fort Mill, S.C. native went off for 27 kills and a .449 clip to ensure the five-set victory. She became just the second Florida player to record at least 27 kills in their rookie season. The right side also recorded six blocks, two digs and two aces to round out her performance.


The combined 45 kills between the first two matches are the most for a Florida freshman during the opening weekend in program history.


Martin currently leads the conference in both kills per set and points per set, while sitting 12th and 11th nationally in those respective categories.


The Gators are back in action Tuesday night as they take on No. 2 Stanford at 9 p.m. EST in Palo Alto, Calif. The match is set to air on the Pac-12 Network.



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Katie Callahan

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