By: Sean Cartell
SEC Digital Network
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida is one of three Southeastern Conference volleyball iteams who have made the NCAA Tournament field. The Gators (24-5) will face Missouri (21-12) on Friday in Cedar Falls, Iowa in their first-round matchup with a possible second-round draw against either host Northern Iowa (32-1) or Niagara (25-8).
This season marks just the second time in the last 21 years that Florida will not play host to NCAA First and Second Round action. The Gators, who are 53-21 (.716) all-time in NCAA Tournament action, are looking to advance to NCAA Regional play for the 20th time in head coach Mary Wise’s 21 years.
Following the NCAA announcement on Sunday evening, Wise sat down with the SEC Digital Network to discuss her thoughts on the 2011 NCAA Tournament bracket.
SEC Digital Network: What are your thoughts on your NCAA Tournament draw and your opening-round matchup with Missouri?
Mary Wise: “Obviously, this is the toughest first-round draw that we’ve had in our 21 years here at UF. This will be a huge challenge against a team that will be in the SEC next year. A year from now, this would be a matchup that could never happen because they don’t have conference teams play each other in the first round. There is also some irony in that Kentucky goes to College Station to play at Texas A&M. As soon as we saw Tennessee was a No. 14 seed – and we thought they were deserving of a higher seed – we knew that we would be playing on the road.”
SEC Digital Network: How much do you think playing a challenging schedule, including traveling to the Nike Volleyball Big Four Classic early in the season, will help your team to go on the road and face tough NCAA Tournament competition?
Mary Wise: “We will rely on every bit of that experience, not just from this year, but the experience our seniors have had over four years of playing really good teams. Our first-round matchup will be a neutral-site environment, or at least we hope it will be.”
SEC Digital Network: How much has this year’s senior class meant to your program and how much do you want a deep NCAA Tournament run for this class of seniors?
Mary Wise: “If their careers ended today before the very first NCAA Tournament match, their names are all over the record books. They’ve been a part of such huge wins and have done so much for Florida volleyball. Right now, in terms of our seniors, it’s icing on the cake at this stage.”
SEC Digital Network: You are playing for the opportunity to get back to Gainesville to play in a regional if you win the first two matches. Is that added motivation for you and your team?
Mary Wise: “I hope that will be the case next week, but right now, as good as Missouri is, they’re a tough team and they’re all we’re focused on right now. We are putting all our energy into playing our best volleyball against a really good Missouri team.”
SEC Digital Network: What are your thoughts on the SEC only getting three teams in the NCAA Tournament field?
Mary Wise: “It’s disappointing. I would be really curious to have been in the room with the committee to see what went into their decision-making this year. Not knowing what they considered, there were a few head-scratchers there. You have a USC team that is ranked No. 1 in the nation and, I know, that’s not part of the equation, but they earned a No. 7 seed. That ranking came from the opinion of coaches who have seen a lot of volleyball, so I thought there were some interesting selections.”