Florida’s Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Ill.) was named the 2010 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and head coach Mary Wise was named 2010 SEC Coach of the Year to highlight a long list of end-of-year recognition that the Gators earned in the annual league awards, it was announced Monday evening.
Six Florida players earned All-SEC recognition, including three first-team selections. Murphy was named an All-SEC First Team selection for the second consecutive year, while seniors Lauren Bledsoe (Long Beach, Calif.) and Callie Rivers (Winter Park, Fla.) earned All-SEC recognition for the first time. Junior middle blocker Cassandra Anderson (Bakersfield, Calif.) and junior outside hitter Kristy Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) each were named to the All-SEC Second Team, while freshman setter Chanel Brown (Tempe, Ariz.) was named to the All-SEC Freshman Team.
Murphy’s recognition marks the 16th time since 1992 that a Florida player has been named SEC Player of the Year. She is the only player in the league this season to rank in the conference’s top-10 individually (all matches combined) in service aces per set (1st – 0.39), hitting percentage (4th - .370) and kills per set (9th – 3.05). She tallied six triple-doubles this season and 22 double-doubles, including a double-double in 14 of her last 15 matches. Murphy has hit .500 or better in eight matches this season and is a four-time SEC Offensive Player of the Week selection in 2010. She also was the AVCA National Player of the Week on Aug. 31. Murphy also adds 5.54 assists per set (as part of a 6-2 offensive scheme), 2.19 digs per set and 0.70 blocks per set.
Wise has directed the Gators to their first-ever NCAA No. 1 seed and a No. 1 national ranking in the AVCA poll for a school-record eight consecutive weeks. Wise, who earned her 700th career victory earlier this season, led Florida to the first 20-0 conference record in SEC history and the 12th perfect conference season in program history. Florida has posted a 27-1 overall record and, by virtue of doing so, has extended the nation’s longest streak of consecutive 25-win seasons to 20. It is the 12th SEC Coach of the Year honor in Wise’s career.
Bledsoe earns All-SEC recognition for the first time in her career after ranking 17th in the nation and third in the SEC with a .395 hitting percentage, which currently ranks 11th on UF’s all-time single-season hitting percentage list. Bledsoe also is fifth in the SEC with a 1.09 blocks per set average and is fourth on the team with 1.95 kills per set. She has led the Gators in blocks on 13 occasions during the 2010 season.
Rivers earns All-SEC recognition for the first time in her career, with the exception of a 2007 SEC All-Freshman Team nod, after ranking second on the team with 2.58 kills per set and finishing the regular season in third place in the SEC with 0.31 service aces per set. She is second on the team with 2.26 digs per set and has tallied double-figure kills on 10 instances.
Anderson was named to the All-SEC second team after leading the league in blocks per set with 1.24 and leading the team in blocks on 13 instances. In conference matches only, Anderson recorded a league-best 1.32 blocks per set. She also is sixth in the SEC with a .352 hitting efficiency, including a .372 clip in league matches. She has charted five or more blocks in 13 contests in 2010, including a season-high nine blocks in the regular-season finale at South Carolina.
Jaeckel was named to the All-SEC second team after ranking third on the team with 2.49 kills per set and ranking 10th in the SEC with 0.26 service aces per set. Jaeckel has recorded double-figure kills in 11 matches this season and has double-figure digs on six occasions. She charted two double-doubles in 2009. She has led the team in kills on eight occasions and, earlier this season, became just the 20th player in school history to reach 2,000 career attacks.
Brown has been in UF’s lineup every match as a freshman, earning All-SEC Freshman Team honors. Brown averages a squad-best 5.63 assists per set, setting in three rotations as part of a 6-2 offense. She is ninth in the SEC (conference matches only) with 6.01 assists per set and has charted two double-doubles this year.
No. 1 Florida begins NCAA Tournament play on Friday when it plays host to South Carolina State. Opening serve in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET.
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 Player of the Year: Kelly Murphy, Florida
SEC Libero of the Year: Stephanie Klefot, Kentucky
SEC Freshman of the Year: Desiree Elliott, LSU
SEC Co-Scholar-Athletes of the Year: Lauren Rapp, Kentucky; Nikki Fowler, Tennessee
SEC Coach of the Year: Mary Wise, Florida
FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC
Lauren Bledsoe, Florida
Kelly Murphy, Florida
Callie Rivers, Florida
Lauren Rapp, Kentucky
Angela Bensend, LSU
Desiree Elliott, LSU
Regina Thomas, Ole Miss
Nikki Fowler, Tennessee
Kayla Jeter, Tennessee
SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC
Kayla Fitterer, Alabama
Jasmine Norton, Arkansas
Morgan Johns, Auburn
Cassandra Anderson, Florida
Kristy Jaeckel, Florida
Valentina Gonzalez, Georgia
Stephanie Klefot, Kentucky
Michele Williams, LSU
Ashley Newsome, Mississippi State
Leah Hinkey, Tennessee
SEC ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Raymariely Santos, Arkansas
Camila Jersonsky, Auburn
Chanel Brown, Florida
Whitney Billings, Kentucky
Desiree Elliott, LSU
Juliette Thevenin, South Carolina
Kelsey Robinson, Tennessee
