Sept. 27, 2005
ORLANDO - Junior outside hitter Maina Heming posted her third double-double of the season with 15 kills and 16 digs as the UCF volleyball team claimed its inaugural Conference USA match, defeating visiting Southern Miss, 3-1 (27-30, 30-20, 30-19, 30-19), on Tuesday evening at UCF Arena. The Golden Knights, who were also making their 2005 home debut, improve to 3-5 overall and 1-0 in league play, while Southern Miss falls to 4-4 and 0-1.
Junior setter Leah Alexander posted a match-high 42 assists for the hosts and also added eight digs. The Golden Knights were playing their first C-USA contest after competing in the Atlantic Sun since 1992.
Due to Hurricane Rita, UCF was playing for the first time since Sept. 16, when the team dropped a 3-1 match at USF. Last week, the squad had three matches postponed due to the storm.
"This was a different team from the one that played at USF," said UCF head coach Meg Colado. "We had quite a lot of practices since USF. Tonight was just a great performance by our team."
The Golden Eagles claimed the first game after hitting .400 as a team, but UCF rebounded in game two, taking a 30-20 victory. The team then rolled to the win, posting 30-19 victories in games three and four.
Junior middle blocker Jana Mitchell posted a career-high .722 hitting percentage for the Golden Knights and finished with 13 kills and four blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Schanell Neiderworder added 13 kills and eight digs. Playing for the first time since Sept. 9, sophomore outside hitter Lorin Lukas chipped in with nine kills and three blocks while senior libero Katie Kohnen totaled 10 digs.
Southern Miss was led by Ashley Petrinec, who recorded a double-double with 19 kills and 11 digs. Stevi Cherry added 14 kills. Ednali Serralta posted 41 assists in the losing effort.
The Golden Knights return to the court on Friday evening, hosting UAB for a C-USA match at UCF Arena. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. Prior to the contest, UCF officials will be on hand collecting donations to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina. All proceeds will be given directly to the United Way.