In the first two weeks of the season, freshman Kristy Jaeckel has received two Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week awards and a couple of tournament MVPs.
When No. 8 UF (5-0) takes on Colorado (6-0) tonight, the dynamic outside hitter will continue an impressive start to her season as she will get the opportunity to play in her home state.
Jaeckel and freshman setter Cindy Bathelt were both recruited out of Colorado and chose to attend a school nearly 2,000 miles from home.
"Location and how far from home wasn't really a factor for me," Jaeckel said. "I just tried to look at schools that had the best reputation for winning and success, and Florida was definitely one of the ones that has the best (reputation)."
Bathelt fell in love with UF after participating in a volleyball camp the summer before her junior year of high school. When it came time for the Colorado Springs native to choose a school, she said distance wasn't a factor, but the weather was.
"I figured, if I can get a full ride to go anywhere in the country, why not pick some place that's always warm?"
The two return home from their new tropical climate as key contributors to the Gators early season success.
Jaeckel has posted a team-high 3.19 hitting percentage and led UF in kills in all but one of its matches.
Meanwhile, Bathelt, who stands at just 5-foot-9, is second on the team with 5.56 assists per game.
On Monday, the Gators recorded a victory in their first road match of the season, but Tallahassee seems like just a stone's throw away from Gainesville in comparison to Boulder.
Tonight's matchup with the Buffaloes and Saturday's action against Colorado State will present a different feel for UF's six freshmen.
"You have to be more mentally prepared because you're not in your element," Bathelt said. "You don't really know what the locker room is going to look like, and you don't really have the same routine, so you kind of have to be flexible with what you do."
For Jaeckel, there will at least be some level of familiarity playing against Colorado.
Her mother attended the university and her parents moved the family back to the area from California when Jaeckel was 12.
Bathelt, on the other hand, grew up two and a half hours south of Boulder, and said she was an Air Force fan because it was just across Interstate 25 from her house.
As for the rest of the squad, the last time UF took on the Buffaloes, only the team's juniors (Elyse Cusack and Kristina Johnson) and seniors (Kelsey Bowers and Christina Diaz) wore Orange and Blue.
The Gators came away with an easy 3-0 (30-19, 30-21, 31-29) win in Honolulu, Hawaii.
With a very different group of players set to take the court in Boulder, UF will try to defeat CU for the third straight time.
"A team theme of ours has been to play with toughness," Jaeckel said. "On the road is where we have to prove that and show that we don't have to play at home to be a good team."
