Gator Volleyball

[ocalaman]

Mary Wise won her 1001st game as a D1 coach as the Gator volleyball team swept #24 Miami tonight 3-0 to advance to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament. They had beaten FAMU last night 3-0. Florida started the season ranked in the Top 10, but got off to a slow start due to some sickness and injuries. They finished the regular season with a 20-8 record, 14-4 in the SEC, good for a 3rd place finish. Ranked #21 at season's end they got a #16 seed in the NCAA tournament. Their next match will be a tough one, probably against #1 ranked and currently undefeated Louisville. Mary Wise just continues to put together athletic, competitive teams that are always in the hunt for SEC and national titles. Go Gators!!

 

[Countygator1]

She is definitely consistent. Wish she would win just one title.

 

[ocalaman]

She is definitely consistent. Wish she would win just one title.

Agree about the NATIONAL title missing, but 24 SEC championships, 8 Final 4's, 15X SEC coach of the year, 3X National coach of the year and 29 Top 15 finishes is extremely impressive. And on top of that her players graduate and there hasn't been a hint of scandal of any kind in her 31 years in Gainesville. To me, she's the GOAT of UF coaches.

 

[Countygator1]

Agree about the NATIONAL title missing, but 24 SEC championships, 8 Final 4's, 15X SEC coach of the year, 3X National coach of the year and 29 Top 15 finishes is extremely impressive. And on top of that her players graduate and there hasn't been a hint of scandal of any kind in her 31 years in Gainesville. To me, she's the GOAT of UF coaches.

Impressive. I'm still going with Mike Holloway as the GOAT

 

[ocalaman]

Impressive. I'm still going with Mike Holloway as the GOAT

Hard to argue with that choice.

 

[PacoGator19]

Hard to argue with that choice.

All good choices. I think it is Billy D for me

 

[ocalaman]

All good choices. I think it is Billy D for me

Hard to argue with that choice either. Tim Walton should be in the conversation, too, and by the time he's done at Florida he could be the GOAT. Just for me, Mary Wise's consistent greatness over 31 years and all the conference championship's she's won is unmatchable at UF. She almost single-handedly brought women's volleyball to prominence in the SEC and it's a shame that Kentucky got the SEC's first national title.

 

[Nicktheslick]

Hard to argue with that choice either. Tim Walton should be in the conversation, too, and by the time he's done at Florida he could be the GOAT. Just for me, Mary Wise's consistent greatness over 31 years and all the conference championship's she's won is unmatchable at UF. She almost single-handedly brought women's volleyball to prominence in the SEC and it's a shame that Kentucky got the SEC's first national title.

I like Kevin O’Sullivan too. Baseball will be awesome this year.

 

[TJtheGator]

Her lack of a NC is due to the fact that she refuses to recruit the monster 6’5” and 6’6” players that Nebraska, Penn State, and Stanford have.

She’ll land one here or there and every time we go up against the blue bloods for a title we lose. Mary thinks 6’0” fast players can win.

 

[ocalaman]

Her lack of a NC is due to the fact that she refuses to recruit the monster 6’5” and 6’6” players that Nebraska, Penn State, and Stanford have.

She’ll land one here or there and every time we go up against the blue bloods for a title we lose. Mary thinks 6’0” fast players can win.

Not true. You obviously don't know your "facts". This year's team has a 6' 6", two 6'4", four 6'3", a 6' 2" and two 6'1".
Last year's team had a 6' 7", a 6' 6", two 6' 4", three 6' 3", two 6' 2" and two 6' 1".
The 2019 team had a 6' 8", a 6' 7", a 6' 6", a 6' 4", three 6' 3", two 6' 2" and two 6' 1".
The 2018 team had a 6' 8", a 6' 7", a 6' 6", a 6' 4", three 6' 3", two 6' 2" and a 6' 1".

I could go on, but not necessary. You apparently don't know Gator volleyball and just make assumptions without information.

 

[ocalaman]

#16 22-8 Gators play at #1 30-0 Louisville Thursday at 1 PM on ESPNU. Huge upset would be sweet.

 

[Nicktheslick]

Not true. You obviously don't know your "facts". This year's team had a 6' 6", two 6'4", four 6'3", a 6' 2" and two 6'1".
Last year's team had a 6' 7", a 6' 6", two 6' 4", three 6' 3", two 6' 2" and two 6' 1".
The 2019 team had a 6' 8", a 6' 7", a 6' 6", a 6' 4", three 6' 3", two 6' 2" and two 6' 1".
The 2018 team had a 6' 8", a 6' 7", a 6' 6", a 6' 4", three 6' 3", two 6' 2" and a 6' 1".

I could go on, but not necessary. You apparently don't know Gator volleyball and just make assumptions without information.

If the women’s basketball team could recruit that kind of height they might be a contender.

 

[ocalaman]

If the women’s basketball team could recruit that kind of height they might be a contender.

Gator women's basketball is 7-3 right now. Not sure how long that will hold, but at least they're off to a better start than what we're used to. No reason why women's BB can't be a contender just like all other Gator sports.

 

[ocalaman]

Just another thought about Mary Wise not winning a national title. To me winning a conference championship is the primary goal of any D1 athletic program and she's done that 24 times in 31 years. But steel sharpens steel and the Pac 12 and Big 10 have had very deep conferences with numerous programs that are regularly in the Top 20, beating each other up all year, making each other better and more competitive in close matches. For most of her tenure at UF, Florida was the only national power from the SEC and so the day in, day out competition wasn't near the quality of those teams in the Big 10 and Pac 12. As a result, there wasn't the steady improvement from beginning of the season until tournament time. Most of the elite high school volleyball players have gone to the 2 elite volleyball conferences, with Texas and Florida being the exceptions to getting some of those players. Mary Wise has done incredible things with volleyball in the Southeast, in the state of Florida and the SEC and has been a primary force in bringing volleyball to prominence in the SEC. It is now a competitive conference, yet still not on par with the Big 10 and Pac 12. Winning a national title is icing on the cake and Florida volleyball is almost always in the hunt. But winning a conference title is the ultimate goal, IMO, and in that regard Mary Wise has no peers.

 

[Nicktheslick]

Gator women's basketball is 7-3 right now. Not sure how long that will hold, but at least they're off to a better start than what we're used to. No reason why women's BB can't be a contender just like all other Gator sports.

Hopefully they can take the next step like most all the other Gator sports.

 

[LizardGrad89]

...No reason why women's BB can't be a contender just like all other Gator sports.

Hoping next year we can say this about football.

 

[ocalaman]

UF Volleyball was swept by #1 Louisville this afternoon 3-0. The Gators were the only SEC team to make it to the Sweet 16 after 6 teams made the NCAA tournament. #7 Kentucky was upset 3-1 by Illinois in the Round of 32. This was Mary Wise's 28th trip to the Sweet 16 in 31 years as Gator head coach. Incredible consistency. However, the Gators were put at an even greater disadvantage starting NCAA tournament play when Senior All-SEC performer T'ara Caesar quit the team to focus on "mental and physical health issues before transitioning out of school." The game announcers today said the coaches and players have been very supportive of Caesar, but that really has to hurt to lose one of your top players right at tournament time.

 

[GatorsFanYeah]

At least Kentucky lost. Still pisses me off that we weren’t the first SEC school to win a title when we’re fat and away historically the best team in the conference. Of course Louisville, another Johnny come lately might when one before us, lol.