There were few signs of any offseason rust for No. 9 Florida (1-0) in its season opener as it swept New Orleans in three sets (25-7,25-9,25-12) Friday afternoon.
The Privateers (0-1) could not match the Gators’ athleticism. After losing Tangerine Wiggs and Betsy Smith – leaders from last year’s Sweet 16 squad – to graduation, two familiar faces in junior libero Taylor Unroe and senior middle blocker Chloe Mann led the way for Florida.
Unroe made multiple athletic plays en route to registering a team-high 16 digs.
The Privateers had no answer for Florida’s frontline and Mann, who registered six kills in the first two sets before sitting out the final set. Mann looked just as dominant as she did during her junior year campaign, for which she was named an AVCA First Team All-American.
Florida had to rely very little on defense as it posted a.500 hitting percentage.
The blowout allowed for Florida to get every player into the game and get a look at some of its newcomers, such as freshman Alex Holston and Maryland transfer setter Mackenzie Dagostino.
Holston showed potential to be a dangerous combination with Mann after registering six kills and a .385 hitting percentage.
Dagostino proved to be a reliable rotation player after leading the team with 21 assists – 10 more than senior Taylor Brauenis.
The Gators will have two more chances to showcase their new-look sqad with a match tonight against LIU-Brooklyn at 7:30 and Saturday against Duke at 4 p.m.
Follow RJ Schaffer on Twitter @rjschaffer.
Chloe Mann (10) spikes the ball over Missouri’s Whitney Little (8) during UF’s 3-0 win on Sept. 21, 2012, in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
