Post by GatorVball on Nov 30, 2006 13:11:42 GMT -5
From the Gainesville Sun
McCray hurting as tourney starts
By BRANDON ZIMMERMAN
Sun sports writer
Amber McCray is well adept at overcoming injuries.
Two years ago, some thought McCray's volleyball career was over when she suffered a devastating knee injury. McCray not only returned to the court, she came back stronger, evidenced by the first-team All-SEC honor she received Tuesday.
McCray's right knee may no longer be an issue. But her left shoulder is.
McCray has been suffering from a sore left (swinging) shoulder since late September. The injury has forced her to miss four matches this season while being limited in others.
Now, the Gators are hoping their kills-per-game leader can hold up as they look to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. That quest begins tonight when ninth-seeded Florida (28-2) faces Florida A&M (21-6) in first-round action at 7:30 p.m. in the O'Connell Center.
"It's hanging in there," McCray said of her shoulder. "We're just trying to make sure it lasts six more matches."
Florida will need her lightning quick swing. McCray leads Florida with an average of 3.72 kills per game and leads all opposite/outside hitters in the SEC in hitting percentage in league matches (.365).
McCray, a 6-foot junior opposite hitter from Longview, Texas, has been her usual, tough self, through the injury.
"I don't know if we've seen 100 percent of Amber since late September," Florida coach Mary Wise said. "What we do have is 100 percent of her heart. She is as gutty a player as we've had in this program."
McCray first experienced pain in her shoulder following Florida's 3-2 win at Kentucky Sept. 29. It was thought the soreness was a result of her career-high 41 attacks against the Wildcats. But the pain never subsided.
The following weekend, Florida rested McCray in its pair of sweeps at Ole Miss and Mississippi State. McCray also sat out Florida's two wins over the same schools in the O'Connell Center, another against Georgia and was limited to just two swings against Marquette last weekend at the Conference Challenge in Orlando.
"Right now it's a sore shoulder that hasn't been getting better," McCray said. "We're taking all the precautions to make sure it doesn't get worse. Then we'll deal with it after the season."
McCray's injury is similar to a baseball pitcher experiencing a sore or tired arm. McCray plans to have the shoulder looked at more extensively in the offseason to see if surgery is necessary.
For now, rest is the best medicine. The Gators have even limited McCray to just one day of swinging each week in practice.
"That can effect your timing," Wise said. "The fact that Amber hasn't (lost her timing) shows you what a competitor she is."
McCray's shoulder injury is minuscule compared to what she has already overcome. In the spring of 2004, McCray tore her anterior cruciate ligament, medial meniscus, lateral meniscus and also suffered a bone bruise in her right knee when she landed awkwardly in practice.
"Just to come back from her ACL injury to be first-team All-SEC, that in itself is a great story," Wise said. "But to do what she's doing this year on limited practice, limited playing, that's all guts."
# Florida Gators Record: 28-2, 19-1 SEC
# Credentials: Florida has won 16 straight SEC regular-season titles and is making its 16th consecutive NCAA appearance.
# What to know: The Gators have made seven final four appearances since 1992, but have yet to win a national title. The Gators are 32-2 at home in NCAA Tournament action.
# Player to watch: Junior setter Angie McGinnis. She became the first setter to win SEC player of the year honors, awarded Tuesday. McGinnis' ability to kill and dig balls from the setter position makes her one of the most well-rounded setters in the nation.
Florida A&M Rattlers
# Record: 21-6, 10-0 MEAC
# Credentials: Winners of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Rattlers have won 91 straight regular-season conference matches.
# What to know: The Rattlers are making their sixth straight NCAA appearance and eighth in nine years. The Rattlers were eliminated by Florida, 3-0, in the first round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament in Tallahassee.
# Player to watch: Senior middle blocker/outside hitter Maria Andonova. A 6-foot-2 native of Bulgaria, Andonova is second in the nation with an average of 6.23 kills per game. Andonova is also sixth in the nation in service aces per game (0.69).
College of Charleston Cougars
# Record: 27-7, 17-1 SoCon
# Credentials: The Cougars defeated UNC Greensboro 3-1 in the Southern Conference title match to earn an automatic berth. This will be Charleston's fourth appearance in the tournament.
# What to know: Last year, College of Charleston became the first SoCon team to win a match in the NCAA Tournament, when the Cougars defeated North Carolina 3-1 in Chapel Hill, N.C., before losing in the second round to No. 21 Purdue 3-0.
# Player to watch: Senior libero Marie Dobrenz. A native of Torrance, Calif., Dobrenz ranks 17th nationally with 5.84 digs per game.
Arizona State Sun Devils
# Record: 15-14, 7-11 Pac-10
# Credentials: ASU faced a brutal schedule that included six national seeds. They are No. 2 Stanford, No. 4 UCLA, No. 5 Southern Cal, No. 6 Washington, No. 11 Ohio State and No. 14 Purdue. The Devils went 0-10 against those teams.
# What to know: Arizona State is making its 15th NCAA Tournament appearance, but first since 2002.
# Player to watch: Junior libero Sydney Donahue. She currently leads leads the Pac-10 in total digs (695) and digs per game (6.62). Donahue's 695 career digs ranks third in Pac-10 history. Set an NCAA record with 50 digs in a three-game match against Loyola Marymount Aug. 26.
McCray hurting as tourney starts
By BRANDON ZIMMERMAN
Sun sports writer
Amber McCray is well adept at overcoming injuries.
Two years ago, some thought McCray's volleyball career was over when she suffered a devastating knee injury. McCray not only returned to the court, she came back stronger, evidenced by the first-team All-SEC honor she received Tuesday.
McCray's right knee may no longer be an issue. But her left shoulder is.
McCray has been suffering from a sore left (swinging) shoulder since late September. The injury has forced her to miss four matches this season while being limited in others.
Now, the Gators are hoping their kills-per-game leader can hold up as they look to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. That quest begins tonight when ninth-seeded Florida (28-2) faces Florida A&M (21-6) in first-round action at 7:30 p.m. in the O'Connell Center.
"It's hanging in there," McCray said of her shoulder. "We're just trying to make sure it lasts six more matches."
Florida will need her lightning quick swing. McCray leads Florida with an average of 3.72 kills per game and leads all opposite/outside hitters in the SEC in hitting percentage in league matches (.365).
McCray, a 6-foot junior opposite hitter from Longview, Texas, has been her usual, tough self, through the injury.
"I don't know if we've seen 100 percent of Amber since late September," Florida coach Mary Wise said. "What we do have is 100 percent of her heart. She is as gutty a player as we've had in this program."
McCray first experienced pain in her shoulder following Florida's 3-2 win at Kentucky Sept. 29. It was thought the soreness was a result of her career-high 41 attacks against the Wildcats. But the pain never subsided.
The following weekend, Florida rested McCray in its pair of sweeps at Ole Miss and Mississippi State. McCray also sat out Florida's two wins over the same schools in the O'Connell Center, another against Georgia and was limited to just two swings against Marquette last weekend at the Conference Challenge in Orlando.
"Right now it's a sore shoulder that hasn't been getting better," McCray said. "We're taking all the precautions to make sure it doesn't get worse. Then we'll deal with it after the season."
McCray's injury is similar to a baseball pitcher experiencing a sore or tired arm. McCray plans to have the shoulder looked at more extensively in the offseason to see if surgery is necessary.
For now, rest is the best medicine. The Gators have even limited McCray to just one day of swinging each week in practice.
"That can effect your timing," Wise said. "The fact that Amber hasn't (lost her timing) shows you what a competitor she is."
McCray's shoulder injury is minuscule compared to what she has already overcome. In the spring of 2004, McCray tore her anterior cruciate ligament, medial meniscus, lateral meniscus and also suffered a bone bruise in her right knee when she landed awkwardly in practice.
"Just to come back from her ACL injury to be first-team All-SEC, that in itself is a great story," Wise said. "But to do what she's doing this year on limited practice, limited playing, that's all guts."
# Florida Gators Record: 28-2, 19-1 SEC
# Credentials: Florida has won 16 straight SEC regular-season titles and is making its 16th consecutive NCAA appearance.
# What to know: The Gators have made seven final four appearances since 1992, but have yet to win a national title. The Gators are 32-2 at home in NCAA Tournament action.
# Player to watch: Junior setter Angie McGinnis. She became the first setter to win SEC player of the year honors, awarded Tuesday. McGinnis' ability to kill and dig balls from the setter position makes her one of the most well-rounded setters in the nation.
Florida A&M Rattlers
# Record: 21-6, 10-0 MEAC
# Credentials: Winners of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Rattlers have won 91 straight regular-season conference matches.
# What to know: The Rattlers are making their sixth straight NCAA appearance and eighth in nine years. The Rattlers were eliminated by Florida, 3-0, in the first round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament in Tallahassee.
# Player to watch: Senior middle blocker/outside hitter Maria Andonova. A 6-foot-2 native of Bulgaria, Andonova is second in the nation with an average of 6.23 kills per game. Andonova is also sixth in the nation in service aces per game (0.69).
College of Charleston Cougars
# Record: 27-7, 17-1 SoCon
# Credentials: The Cougars defeated UNC Greensboro 3-1 in the Southern Conference title match to earn an automatic berth. This will be Charleston's fourth appearance in the tournament.
# What to know: Last year, College of Charleston became the first SoCon team to win a match in the NCAA Tournament, when the Cougars defeated North Carolina 3-1 in Chapel Hill, N.C., before losing in the second round to No. 21 Purdue 3-0.
# Player to watch: Senior libero Marie Dobrenz. A native of Torrance, Calif., Dobrenz ranks 17th nationally with 5.84 digs per game.
Arizona State Sun Devils
# Record: 15-14, 7-11 Pac-10
# Credentials: ASU faced a brutal schedule that included six national seeds. They are No. 2 Stanford, No. 4 UCLA, No. 5 Southern Cal, No. 6 Washington, No. 11 Ohio State and No. 14 Purdue. The Devils went 0-10 against those teams.
# What to know: Arizona State is making its 15th NCAA Tournament appearance, but first since 2002.
# Player to watch: Junior libero Sydney Donahue. She currently leads leads the Pac-10 in total digs (695) and digs per game (6.62). Donahue's 695 career digs ranks third in Pac-10 history. Set an NCAA record with 50 digs in a three-game match against Loyola Marymount Aug. 26.