Coach Mary Wise had one big concern heading into the 2020 season: How to replace Rachael Kramer.
Junior Haley Warner didn’t see the court on Friday night when the Gators defeated Alabama 3-0. Coach Mary Wise called her name late in the first set on Saturday with Florida nursing a narrow 20-19 lead.
Florida coach Mary Wise said after practice on Wednesday that the one-two combo of outside hitters Thayer Hall and T’ara Ceasar could, in time, prove to be a deadly one.
There were multiple instances in the past few months that Florida coach Mary Wise didn’t think Florida’s home opener on Friday against Alabama would happen.
Despite an unconventional, pandemic-hindered offseason, the Gators hit the court for the first time Wednesday. Everything suddenly felt conventional that night in Auburn, Alabama, though, including the win.
Thayer Hall raised her hitting percentage from .198 to .250 in 2019. She has struggled through the Gators’ first two matches this season, leaving coach Mary Wise to find a way to replace her production.
T’ara Ceasar traded in her red and black for the orange and blue on Nov. 19, 2018, and ever since she stepped foot in Florida’s gymnasium, her teammates and coaches have raved about her.
The Gators play their first match Wednesday after six months of holding meetings on Zoom and completing workouts at home hundreds of miles away from each other.
The Gators announced that fans will be in attendance at Florida volleyball games this season.
During typical times, the O’Connell Center would be packed in mid-September with fans hoping to see coach Mary Wise and the team finally win that elusive national championship they’ve been seeking for years.
Florida volleyball’s 2019 season will be remembered like a lot of its other seasons: A strong regular season before bowing out in the NCAA Tournament.
Coach Mary Wise knew one of her student managers for Florida volleyball was different than most quickly. In her 33 years of coaching, she had never seen someone so interested in the minute details of her program.
There was nothing seniors Rachael Kramer and Allie Gregory could do but watch the ball hit the hardwood, signaling the end of both the Gators’ season and their college careers.
It didn’t take much for Florida’s volleyball team to take a 3-0 win over UCF, even without its star hitter in sophomore Thayer Hall – who missed her second-straight game with an undisclosed injury.
The Gators didn’t have their star player in outside hitter Thayer Hall on Thursday night. But even leaning on its bench players in Hall’s absence Florida was still fine against Alabama State.
Saturday’s five-set win over the Texas A&M Aggies was memorable in more ways than one.
The Gators’ volleyball team has made it a habit of dominating teams at the bottom of the SEC standings this season.
The disparity between the top two teams in the SEC and the rest of the conference was on full display Sunday afternoon.
There has been a constant on Florida’s volleyball team since 2011: the presence of at least one Monserez sister.
Solutions by The State News
