Florida juniors Cassandra Anderson (Bakersfield, Calif.) and Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Ill.) on Monday earned weekly recognition from the Southeastern Conference for their stellar performances in a pair of wins against South Carolina and Ole Miss this past week, the league offices in Birmingham, Ala., announced.
Murphy was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week for the fourth time this season and sixth time in her collegiate career, while Anderson was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time in her career and the first time since Dec. 1, 2008.
The pair helped lead No. 1 Florida to a 3-0 sweep of South Carolina in Gainesville last Wednesday night before sweeping then-SEC Western Division leader Ole Miss on Friday night in front of a hostile environment in Oxford, Miss, to improve its record to 20-1 overall and 13-0 in the Southeastern Conference.
Murphy averaged 3.50 kills per set on a team-high .450 hitting percentage with a squad-best 0.83 service aces per set this weekend. She tallied a team-high 4.58 points per set and dished out 4.67 assists per set (as part of a 6-2 offensive scheme), helping lead the Gators’ offense to an impressive .344 team hitting efficiency for the two matches combined. She also added 2.50 digs per set and 0.50 blocks per set over the course of the weekend.
Murphy hit better than .350 in both matches this weekend, including a .562 clip against Ole Miss on Friday night, which marked the sixth time this season that she has hit better than .500. Against the Rebels, Murphy charted her sixth triple-double of the season and her 21st career triple-dip with 10 kills on .562 hitting to go with a team-high 16 assists and a match-high 10 digs for 12.0 total points. She also charted 11 kills on .375 hitting with 12 assists, three service aces, five digs and three blocks vs. South Carolina.
Murphy, who has recorded eight consecutive double-doubles, is the only player to rank among the SEC’s top-10 in kills per set, service aces per set and hitting percentage simultaneously. On the season (all matches combined), Murphy leads the SEC with 0.39 service aces per set, is third in the league with a .382 hitting percentage and ranks eighth in kills per set with 3.23. In conference matches only, Murphy is averaging a league-high 0.49 service aces per set and is hitting at an explosive .416 clip.
Anderson led a powerful Florida blocking brigade last week, averaging a squad-best 1.50 blocks per set. She directed a Gator blocking effort that out-blocked opponents 18.0-3.0 over the course of the week. Under Anderson’s direction, Florida averaged 3.00 blocks per set over the course of the two matches. Due to Florida’s strong blocking efforts, the Gators held both of their opponents to under a .100 hitting efficiency and this week’s opposition hit a combined .062 against Florida in the two matches.
Anderson charted a match-high six blocks against South Carolina last Wednesday night, helping the Gators out-block the Gamecocks 9.0-2.0 and limiting South Carolina to just a .057 hitting efficiency. She then registered three blocks at Ole Miss on Friday night, helping the Gators limit the Rebels to just a .067 hitting clip for the match.
On the season (all matches combined), Anderson ranks first on her team and third in the SEC in blocks per set with 1.15 and, in conference matches only, leads the league with an impressive 1.21 blocks per set. She also averages 1.48 kills per set on a .357 hitting efficiency for the season.
The Gators return to action on Friday, when they travel to Athens, Ga., to take on Georgia. Opening serve in the Ramsey Student Center is slated for 7 p.m. ET and the match will be carried live on 103.7 FM The Gator with Cory Stephens.
For all of the latest information on Florida volleyball, please log on to www.gatorzone.com/volleyball. Follow Florida volleyball on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GatorZoneVB and Coach Mary Wise on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GatorMary.
SEC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK (WEEK 10 – NOVEMBER 1, 2010)
Offensive: Kelly Murphy, Florida
Defensive: Cassandra Anderson, Florida
Freshman: Raymariely Santos, Arkansas
SEC VOLLEYBALL STANDINGS (AS OF NOV. 1, 2010)
Eastern Division
| Team | Overall | SEC |
| Florida | 20-1 | 13-0 |
| Tennessee | 19-5 | 10-4 |
| Kentucky | 7-7 | 13-11 |
| Georgia | 11-14 | 3-11 |
| South Carolina | 5-18 | 2-11 |
Western Division
| Team | Overall | SEC |
| LSU | 21-2 | 12-2 |
| Ole Miss | 17-6 | 11-3 |
| Auburn | 16-10 | 7-7 |
| Arkansas | 12-13 | 6-8 |
| Mississippi State | 11-13 | 3-10 |
| Alabama | 9-14 | 1-12 |
