GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Mary Wise did not want to spend any time talking about career win 1,000, a remarkable milestone that came Thursday night against Florida A&M in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
"We were so excited last night," senior setter Marlie Monserez said Friday, "but she wouldn't let us celebrate."
Wise's post-FAMU message was clear. Her players asked if she'd remember No. 1,000. Wise said she'd rather remember and enjoy No. 1,001.
And together they did Friday, with her team deploying what Wise described as one of 16-seeded Florida's best defensive performances of the year. The Gators advanced to the tournament's third round by defeating No. 24 Miami in three sets (25-15, 25-20, 25-16) at Exactech Arena.
Afterward, Wise smiled about the topic of her win count, "Yes, you can ask that now."
[Gators advance to NCAA Round of 16 with sweep of Hurricanes]
Wise, in her 31st season on the UF sideline, said becoming one of only four Division I volleyball coaches with 1,000-plus wins — and the only woman — reflects the talented players she's coached (45 All-Americans) and terrific assistants she's worked with along the way.
"I've been blessed to be with them during their careers," Wise said. "I'm one lucky coach. Not many people get to stay at the same school this long."
Celebrating 1,000: Episode 1 ✨#GoGators pic.twitter.com/9eSzVFw5s2
— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) December 4, 2021
None without consistent success and evolving with the times. That's what Wise has done over the years and who better to recognize it than one of her former standout players (from nearly three decades ago, no less) in Missy (then Aggertt) Whittemore, now an analyst with ESPN.
Whittemore said even when she played for Wise from 1992-95, she would not have been surprised to see her coach's lengthy and record-breaking success.
"I think if you had spent time with her and understood how meticulously she prepares that her success would not shock you," Whittemore said, adding it's hard to think of a sport that has undergone more changes since Wise began coaching.
Flashback to 1991, before two national championship appearances (2003 and 2017) and 24 SEC Championships. Wise, then 32, had just taken over the Florida post following a career track that began when, at 21, she was hired at Iowa State and became the youngest Division I head coach in NCAA history. Wise won 81 matches over four years in Ames before her personal life took her to Kentucky and an associate head coach position with the Wildcats.
Then came UF, a run of championships and — along the way — the advent of rallying scoring, the libero position and the ever-growing influence of social media on recruiting.
Yet through all the eras of volleyball, Wise has succeeded. Excelled, actually.
"She's embraced all the change and just grown with it," Whittemore said. "When you're a willing learner like that, your players will be willing learners."
Whittemore now watches Wise, a former Purdue setter, go all-out on the sideline. Walking, coaching and being as physically engaged in the game as her players.
"You never look to the sideline with her and feel like there's just like an absence," Whittemore said. "You feel the energy from the bench."
Along the way to 1,001, Wise has carried herself the same way. Whittemore said she has never seen her former coach underestimate any team, prompting preparation necessary given that every time the Gators play, they have a target on their backs. Hence, roadblocks along the way can't swerve her team as much as others.
"That's just who that staff is. They will not be rattled," Whittemore said. "When you're so consistent and so prepared, it takes away that uncertainty that could be there in a match like that."
She also sees the impact Wise has made on female coaches in the field; notably over a dozen current D-1 coaches are former Wise players.
Now Wise seeks the fairytale ending of becoming the first female coach to win an NCAA volleyball national championship. Whatever happens, she has inarguably paved the way for other women.
"She's been an inspiration to a lot of female coaches who want to do both," Whittemore said. "They want to coach, and yet, they want to have a family."
Whittemore looked back fondly on her years playing when Wise had her second son. Now, things have come full circle, as Whittemore's own second son, Trent, is on-campus playing for the Gator football team. Wise has grandkids, something Whittemore says the coach would probably acknowledge has softened her up a bit.
Wise, meanwhile, is still coaching nationally seeded NCAA volleyball teams. And some would be happy to brag to anyone, especially the press, about reaching 1,000 wins even in Candy Crush, but that's not Wise.
One thousand and one means a chance to keep fighting in the tournament. That's what matters.
Outside hitter Thayer Hall teared up as she reflected on the significance of her coach's achievement.
"I think it's just really fun to be a part of what Coach Wise is doing with this program," she said. "And it means so much to be a part of that legacy."
That answer earned both players a fist bump from their beloved coach.
Two seniors and one of the winningest coaches ever in college volleyball together; and one of just 16 teams to remain in the field of 64 by weekend's end.
Still alive, Wise and the Gators will be back on the court Thursday.
Bring on 1,002.
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