Sept. 16, 2005
TAMPA - Despite 13 kills from junior middle blocker Jana Mitchell, the UCF volleyball team dropped a 3-1 (30-19, 33-35, 30-19, 30-23) match to host USF on Friday evening in front of a spirited crowd at The Corral. With the loss, UCF (2-5) snaps a two-match winning streak while the Bulls (1-7) earn their first victory of the season.
Junior outside hitter Maina Heming totaled eight kills and a team-high 12 digs for the Golden Knights. Sophomore setter Kim Clonan posted 31 assists and senior libero Katie Kohnen had 10 digs.
After a slow start, the Golden Knights were solid in game two, hitting .300 as a team. Mitchell tallied five kills during the back-and-forth game which featured seven lead changes. The Bulls pulled away in the fourth game, hitting .379 as a team while UCF hit .036.
"We were clearly inconsistent tonight," said UCF head coach Meg Colado. "I was not pleased with the effort. In order to be successful, I am looking for our setters to set hittable balls and we must have the ability to pass at a higher level. We have to get our middles more attempts."
UCF was playing the final contest of seven-consecutive matches away from home to start the season.
Kristina Fabris posted a double-double for USF with a match-high 22 kills and 16 digs. Kate Verhoff registered 48 assists. For the match, the Bulls hit .262 as a team, compared to .125 for UCF.
The Golden Knights return to the courts on Tuesday, making their home debut against Florida Atlantic. First serve at UCF Arena is slated for 4 p.m. Prior to the match, UCF officials will be collecting donations for the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. All contributions will be directly given to the United Way to help those in need after the storm.