‘The Ryan Theis Show on WRUF’ Picks Players of the Week

Florida volleyball coach Ryan Theis appeared on “The Ryan Theis Show on WRUF” Tuesday night ahead of Wednesday’s match against Oklahoma in the O’Dome, choosing his players of the week.

Hitter of the Week: Alec Rothe

After a breakout match against Kentucky Sunday, Theis selected middle blocker Alec Rothe as the hitter of the week. Rothe, a sophomore, tied her career highs in kills (14) and blocks (7), while putting up a career-high 18 points on the Wildcats.

Combined with the Tennessee match Oct. 15, she recorded a 0.34 kill percentage in the 10 sets in two matches. 

Offensive Player of the Week: Jordyn Byrd

Outside hitter Jordyn Byrd continues to lead Florida in kills, now marking 270 this season on a 0.221 kill percentage. She combined for 40 kills in the Gators’ 1-1 week.

“I talk a lot about just how hard it is to score a point at this level,” Theis said. “Jordyn Byrd scored four-and-a-half per set over four kills per game over the [week], so I think that’s a solid pick for offensive player of the week.”

Against No. 16 Tennessee, Byrd recorded 23 kills, just one short of her career high. She ended with a 0.279 kill percentage and 26.5 points after a slow start to the match.

Kentucky played Byrd well, limiting her to a 0.105 kill percentage. The Wildcats took advantage of her 11 attack errors on 57 attempts to add the win. Even still, Byrd nailed 17 kills, marking the 13th straight match with double-digit kills.

Defensive Player of the Week: Lily Hayes

Once again, freshman libero Lily Hayes impressed on defense this week, tallying a career-high 23 digs in the five-set loss to the No. 3 Wildcats. This brought her season total to 251, continuing to add to her impressive season in the wake of a SEC Co-Freshman of the Week honor. 

First serve against the Sooners is set for 7 p.m. Listen live on 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF.

Category: Gator Sports, Gators Volleyball, NCAA, SEC, Volleyball