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Sport becomes bicoastal hit

By DEBI JONES

© St. Petersburg Times, published December 7, 2000

GAINESVILLE -- When Mary Wise began to coach at Florida, the East Coast was not known for strong volleyball schools. The powerhouses were the UCLAs and Long Beach States of the west.

But during the mid-1990s, Penn State and Florida started to make frequent appearances in the Final Four.

Penn State has won a national championship. Wise's Gators have not advanced to the championship despite appearing in the Final Four five times.

Tonight, the Gators continue to pursue their first title as they face No. 1-seed Southern Cal in Los Angeles.

It's not just a West Coast thing anymore.

"There was point in time in the history of women's volleyball where you could say that and you would get no one to doubt you, it was very true," Wise said. "That's not really the case now; look at Penn State winning the national championship a year ago. There are better athletes playing the sport all over the country, and the thing that has brought the two coasts together has been the athleticism of the high school players."

The sport may have more parity, but teams such as Long Beach State, UCLA, Hawaii and Pacific continue to be Florida's nemeses.

Setter Kris Bova, a Milwaukee native, attended the 1993 Final Four in Madison, Wis., where Florida, Brigham Young, Penn State and Long Beach State were the semifinalists.

"I remembers seeing those few teams and they kind of stuck out in my mind during high school and the recruiting process," Bova said. "My freshman year, a Long Beach State player said to me, "West Coast volleyball is better than East Coast volleyball, but there are good volleyball teams all over.' "

If there is a difference, two of Florida's top players might be familiar with it.

Outside hitters Niki Hartley and Jacque Robinson hail from California. Their play will be crucial if the Gators are return to their first Final Four since 1998. The duo has combined for 33 percent of Florida's kills this season.

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