On Saturday, No. 9 Florida defeated North Carolina in straight sets (25-17, 25-20, 25-14) to sweep both of its games at the Active Ankle Challenge in the O’Connell Center.
Sophomore outside hitter Stephanie Ferrell, named the event’s Most Valuable Player, did her part in shutting down the Tar Heels by notching 13 kills and seven digs on the night.
“If I have a good warm-up, then I’m good,” Ferrell said. “But even if I don’t have a good warm-up, mentally, I calm myself and I just get it going during the game.”
Joining the kill parade for the Gators was senior outside hitter Kristy Jaeckel, who picked up 12 kills and 10 digs, two of which rescued Florida late in a closely contested second set.
“We got a couple of breaks with mistakes by North Carolina, but it was (Jaeckel’s) digs and chasing the ball out of bounds that really made the difference in us going up 2-0,” Ferrell said.
Throughout the second set, the Tar Heels furiously kept up with the Gators’ quick style of play and trailed just 20-19 before their most recent point was reversed, resulting in a two-point swing for UF.
“As a team, we kind of lost focus a little bit, but with those two digs, we regrouped and bounced back,” Ferrell said. “Kristy motivated the whole team and created momentum and we just rode the wave.”
For their efforts, Ferrell and Jaeckel, who both posted a .357 hitting percentage against North Carolina, were named to the all-tournament team, joining fellow Gators Kelly Murphy and redshirt freshman libero Taylor Unroe.
After sitting out the 2010 campaign due to injury, Unroe made her collegiate debut this weekend, recording 10 digs, which gives her a team-high 19 for the season.
“Last year was pretty much terrible sitting on the bench,” Unroe said. “Now I get to go out there and do what I’ve been doing my whole life, so it feels great.”
Florida will face their third consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference opponent when they play host to Florida State Tuesday night in the O’Connell Center.
