It was a rough year for Florida volleyball in 2015.
With a 25-7 record, the Gators suffered their lowest winning percentage since 1990 and lost more conference matches (five) than any squad since that same year.
To make matters worse, the Gators dropped a five-set thriller to No. 3 seed Texas in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals, turning an already tough season into a sheer disappointment.
But, with the dawning of a new season, the No. 10 Gators are leaving the past behind and focusing on what’s ahead.
“This is a new season, new year,” right-side hitter Alex Holston said at Wednesday’s preseason media day. “We’re just really excited to get this season going. … We just wanna get on the court and start playing.”
Holston is coming off a strong 2015 campaign in which she led the team in kills (381) and was second in points (438.5). Her play earned her a Third Team All-America selection, making her one of three returning players to receive All-America honors.
As the team’s lone senior, Holston is expected to take on a more vocal leadership role.
“I’m usually one of the more quiet people on the team,” she said. “This year, I’m really going to try to be more vocal.
“Time to step it up, I guess.”
And as the team’s leader, Holston will have a lot to handle.
The Gators welcome nine new faces to the court, and eight of them will be playing collegiate-level volleyball for the first time.
Holston won’t be alone, though.
Juniors Rhamat Alhassan and Carli Snyder will join her as the shepherds of this young, 18-member squad.
And once again, 6-foot-4 middle blocker Alhassan will be a force for the Gators around (and above) the net.
The first-team All-American dominated the competition last season. She was second in the country in blocks (189) and led her team in points (485.5).
However, despite her personal success, Alhassan is looking to move on from last season as well.
“It’s all about this year,” she said. “We’re not looking back into the past and using it as a negative thing. We’re gonna use it to help us get to where we wanna be in December.”
As for Snyder, the outside hitter is a rising star for the Gators.
In 2015, Snyder set career highs in kills (247), aces (12), digs (246), blocks (39) and points (283), and to top it off, her outstanding play earned her an Honorable Mention All-America selection.
With a lot of new additions to the squad, Snyder said the offseason has been about getting the team to mesh.
“There’s a lot of people to get to know, a lot of chemistry to be made,” she said. “Our preseason this year has been a lot about volleyball but also a lot about getting to know each other.”
And the one making sure her team accomplishes that feat, as she has done for more than 20 years, is head coach Mary Wise.
“It’s a year of the unknowns,” Wise said. “But what we do know is that there are three returning players with a whole lot of experience in Alex, Rhamat and Carli.”
The Gators have a challenging first match of the season on Friday, when Wise’s team faces Nebraska, the 2015 national champions, in Eugene, Oregon.
But to Wise, it’s not how you start. It’s how you finish.
“It’s going to be our goal, just like it was last year, to play our best volleyball at the end,” she said. “If we can do that, this team has the chance to be pretty special.”
Contact Ray Boone at rboone@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @rboone8461
UF right-side hitter Alex Holston (3) celebrates during Florida's 3-0 win against St. John's on Sept. 17, 2015, in the O'Connell Center.
