The word was all over the white board in Florida's practice facility Wednesday - the area coach Mary Wise thinks her team needs to improve the most before the next match: blocking.
For the first time this season, the Gators found themselves with their backs to the wall.
Florida ended the weekend with the same amount of downed sets as when they began it - zero.
The Florida volleyball players had a lot to learn and little time to put it all together before their 2008 season began &n-; from how drills were run to what certain terminology meant even each other's names.
Sunday not only acted as a reminder of the beginning of a new volleyball season, it also marked the beginning of the end of senior libero Elyse Cusack's career at Florida.
During the offseason, the Gators lost one setter to another school, but they added a transfer of their own to make up for it.
At the UF volleyball team's media day on Aug. 13, Lauren Bledsoe could barely contain her excitement when asked about senior Kristina Johnson.
Kelly Murphy isn't worried about a sophomore slump.
Cindy Bathelt, a freshman setter for the Gators in 2008, will not be returning for her sophomore season.
Cindy Bathelt, a freshman setter for the Gators in 2008, will not be returning for her sophomore season.
The UF volleyball team's season may be months away, but winning still feels good, especially against a rival.
When UF takes the court to play Stanford on Friday, the Gators will find themselves in an unfamiliar role.
Fresh off two victories to start the NCAA Tournament, UF coach Mary Wise gave her first evaluation of her team's reward - No. 2 Stanford.
For weeks, UF coach Mary Wise has paid lip service to the remarkable improvement of her team during the last three months, but now she has something tangible to measure it by.
Florida A&M came into the O'Connell Center focused on upsetting the No. 15 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament behind senior middle blocker Samara Ferraz.
High above the practice courts hang reminders of tradition.
With the conference title all wrapped up, UF headed west to play its final match of the regular season on Saturday.
For her entire 17-year tenure at UF, coach Mary Wise has had her team in a position to win the regular season Southeastern Conference title.
UF lost its last match - and its slim conference lead - to Kentucky on Sunday, but the Gators are far from out of the driver's seat.
On this weekend's road trip, UF took two steps forward in a sweep of Tennessee and one giant step backward in a five-set thriller with Kentucky.
Solutions by The State News
