Sept. 26, 2005
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ORLANDO - When UCF makes its 2005 home debut on Tuesday afternoon against Southern Miss, the contest will mark the first Conference USA match in school history. The Golden Knights enter the match at 2-5 on the year while Southern Miss is 4-3.
First serve at UCF Arena is slated for 5 p.m. Fans attending the match should park on the third, fourth and fifth floors of the Convocation Center parking garage next to the arena.
Tickets for the match are available at the arena. Students with a valid UCF ID are admitted free.
Prior to the match, UCF officials will be collecting donations to aid those in need after Hurricane Katrina. All proceeds will be given to the United Way.
ABOUT UCF UCF returns to action after having three matches postponed due to Hurricane Rita. The Golden Knights last match was on Sept. 16. The team dropped the contest, 3-1 (30-19, 33-35, 30-19, 30-23) at USF. Junior middle blocker Jana Mitchell paced the Golden Knights against the Bulls, finishing with 13 kills and four blocks. On the year, she leads the squad in kills (2.92) and is second in blocks per game (0.75). Junior outside hitter Maina Heming has a pair of double-doubles on the season and is averaging 2.84 kills per game. At libero, senior Katie Kohnen is averaging a team-best 3.54 digs per game and sophomore setter Kim Clonan is leading the way, averaging 10.36 assists per game.
Head coach Meg Colado is in her seventh season at UCF. She has a 128-87 (.595) overall coaching mark and is 113-71 (.614) with the Golden Knights.
ABOUT SOUTHERN MISS Southern Miss also had a pair of matches postponed last weekend due to Hurricane Rita. The Golden Eagles were slated to visit Tulsa on Friday and then host SMU on Sunday. The squad's last match was on Sept. 17 at the South Alabama Tournament in Mobile. The team had won three straight matches before falling, 3-1, to North Florida to close the tournament.
On the season, Amber Bloom paces the team, averaging 3.67 kills per game. Ednali Serralta is the squad's top setter (12.07 assists per game) and Kaitlyn Deutsch leads the Golden Eagles with 2.74 digs per game. In her second season at Southern Miss, Ricci Luyties has a 10-23 coaching mark.
UCF AGAINST THE GOLDEN EAGLES The program's will be meeting for the second time. In 1998, Southern Miss visited Orlando, claiming a 3-1 (15-7, 15-4, 10-15, 15-12). The Golden Knights were coached by Miriam Ochoa. The following season, she would be replaced by Meg Colado.
SCHEDULE ISSUES Two of UCF's three matches that were postponed due to Hurricane Rita have been rescheduled. The Golden Knights will now travel to Dallas, Texas to face SMU on Oct. 4. UCF will face Tulsa on Oct. 18 at the UCF Arena. That match was originally slated for Sept. 25 at the Education Gym. The squad's home match with Florida Atlantic (Sept. 20) has not yet been rescheduled.
FINALLY HOME The Golden Knights will make their 2005 home debut against Southern Miss. The squad is 3-3 in home openers under Meg Colado. A year ago, the team dropped its home opener to Memphis, 3-1 (30-27, 25-30, 27-30, 18-30).
C-USA DEBUT UCF's contest with Southern Miss will mark the team's first match as a member of Conference USA. The Golden Knights enter C-USA after competing in the Atlantic Sun since 1992.
ACES WILD Freshman middle blocker Jenny Heppert recorded six service aces at USF on Sept. 16, on shy of the school record. On the year, she has 16 aces in five matches played.
HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF EFFORT Prior to each UCF home match, school officials will collect donations to assist the victims of Hurricane Katrina. All donations will be given to the United Way and directed to those in need following the storm. Members of the volleyball team also collected donations prior to UCF's football game with Marshall on Sept. 24 at the Florida Citrus Bowl. UCF head coach Meg Colado is a New Orleans native and freshman libero Lindsay Randazzo hails from Metairie, La.
ON DECK UCF hosts UAB for a conference match on Friday... The Golden Knights hold a 3-1 edge in the all-time series... The squads last met in 2002 in Orlando, where UCF claimed a 3-2 (31-29, 27-30, 30-18, 25-30, 15-8) victory. UCF went 22-13 that season, claiming the Atlantic Sun title and advancing to the NCAA Championship... That contest was the only meeting in Orlando. The teams met on neutral courts in 1998 and 1980 at tournaments. In 1984, the Golden Knights competed in a tournament hosted by the Blazers in Birmingham, Ala.