There is more to Kelly Murphy than offense.
Florida’s most heralded volleyball player is also its most versatile athlete. It’s the reason she has 26 career triple-doubles, but it’s also the reason why her overall stats don’t always jump off the page.
“You understand that she gets only half the reps in setting or only half the numbers the hitters get hitting because of the way the offense is run,” UF coach Mary Wise said. “She understands that there’s a lot more asked of her.”
Wise calls Murphy the “busiest player in Division I women’s volleyball,” and the title is well deserved. As something of a setter and right-side hitter hybrid, Murphy plays every rotation for the Gators and leads the team in assists and service aces. She’s also second on the squad in kills and digs.
“It’s almost like there’s not enough sets to go around,” Wise said. “We were not able to change the rules that Kelly could set herself and hit it.”
Florida’s last four games, all straight-set victories, have shown how much Murphy can open up the offense without ever scoring a point.
During that span, Murphy has 83 assists and 27 kills. Her unselfishness has opened things up for players like junior Betsy Smith, who has 23 kills in those four games while playing a much lighter set load than Murphy. Smith’s .418 hitting efficiency would rank first in the Southeastern Conference if she were eligible — you must have three attacks per set to qualify; Smith has 2.6 attacks per set.
“I just don’t know what it is,” Smith said. “I think it’s (that) we’re finally all clicking together on all cylinders — on offense, at least.”
Ferrell improving, dealing with injury: Florida is asking a lot more out of senior outside hitter Stephanie Ferrell than it has in the past, and the results have been largely positive.
In a new role that requires more defensive play and serve-receive abilities, Ferrell has shown bright spots, including a .375 hitting percentage and 11 kills in Sunday’s win against LSU.
“Her top end is in front of her,” Wise said. “She comes in every day early for extra reps.”
On Sunday, Florida experienced a brief scare when Ferrell rolled an ankle she had hurt in the past. Wise said Monday it was being evaluated, and she did not yet know the extent of the injury.
“I’ve had a lot of history with this ankle,” Ferrell said. “But it’s better. I’ll be fine.”
Back-row defense improves: Placing an emphasis on it last week, Florida’s backcourt had a 52-dig day against LSU. But Wise was more excited about a nearly complete performance.
“When you combine serving, blocking, transition digs — that’s how you keep teams from siding out,” she said. “That’s how you keep teams from scoring. … We did that at a very high level.”
Florida senior Kelly Murphy recorded 83 assists and 27 kills in the last four games while playing a hybrid setter/outside-hitter role for the No. 13 Gators.
