Nov. 3, 2005
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ORLANDO - The UCF volleyball team will be seeking its fourth consecutive victory when it hosts East Carolina for a Conference USA match on Friday evening. First serve at UCF Arena is slated for 7 p.m.
The Golden Knights (7-13, 5-8 C-USA) will be playing at home for the first time since Oct. 18 after competing on the road for four straight contests. East Carolina is 14-10 overall on the year and 5-6 in league play.
Tickets for the contest are available at UCF Arena. UCF students with a valid school ID are admitted free.
Fans attending the match should park on the third, fourth and fifth floors of the Convocation Center Housing garage next to the arena.
The contest will be aired live on www.UCFathletics.com as part of the "Golden Knights All-Access" package. UCF student broadcasters will call of the action. Pre-match coverage is slated for 6:30 p.m.
ABOUT UCF UCF has won three consecutive matches - its longest winning streak of the season. All of the victories have been against Conference USA foes on the road. On Sunday, UCF rallied for a 3-2 (19-30, 30-25, 23-30, 30-28, 19-17) victory over Memphis. Junior middle blocker Jana Mitchell tallied 19 kills and Schanell Neiderworder posted a double-double with 17 kills and a career-best 26 digs for the Golden Knights. On the season, junior setter Leah Alexander leads the team in assists per game (9.43) and junior outside hitter Maina Heming is averaging a team-best 3.05 kills per game.
Head coach Meg Colado is in her seventh season at UCF. She has a 133-95 (.583) overall coaching mark and is 118-79 (.599) with the Golden Knights.
ABOUT EAST CAROLINA The Pirates have lost four of their last six, but topped visiting Tulsa on Sunday, 3-1 (30-27, 30-22, 28-30, 30-25). The hosts hit .349 for the match as a team. Pam Ferris had 16 kills and 10 digs and Heidi Krug totaled 62 assists in the win. Krug's 13.08 assist per game average ranks 21st nationally and second in the conference. Ferris is averaging 3.99 kills per game which is seventh in the conference. Trish Monroe (4.06 digs per game) is the team's top libero. Head coach Chris Rushing is in his first season with the Pirates. In his eighth year overall, he has 124-109 coaching record.
UCF AGAINST THE PIRATES UCF will be facing East Carolina for the third time overall and the for the first time in Orlando. The all-time series is tied at one win apiece. On Oct. 7, the Pirates won a 3-0 (30-16, 30-23, 30-25) match in Greenville, N.C. Junior outside hitter Maina Heming paced UCF with 10 kills. For the match, the hosts hit .333 as a team, compared to .171 for UCF. Sophomore setter Kim Clonan totaled 20 assists for the Golden Knights and freshman libero Lindsay Randazzo posted a team-best 14 digs. East Carolina was led by Pam Ferris with 20 kills. Kelly Wernert added 12 kills and Heidi Krug recorded a double-double with 46 assists and 13 digs.
MITCHELL IN THE MIDDLE Junior middle blocker Jana Mitchell has 71 block assists on the year and is on pace to finish 2005 with one of the top single-season totals in school history. Current teammate Chaz Arah currently sits in 10th on the UCF single-season register with 82 block assists recorded in 2002. Mitchell is already ninth on UCF's career list with 180 block assists. Her 210 total blocks are good for eighth all-time.
MORE ON MITCHELL Jana Mitchell posted a career-high 19 kills as UCF topped Memphis, 3-2, on Sunday. Mitchell added seven total blocks in the victory. Against the Tigers, she hit .395 for the match. Currently, Mitchell ranks 10th in C-USA with a .282 hitting percentage.
ACE QUEEN Freshman middle blocker Jenny Heppert is averaging 0.57 aces per game, good for 26th nationally. That mark also ranks second among conference leaders.
AROUND THE BLOCKS The Golden Knights are well represented among the C-USA leaders in blocks per game. Three UCF players currently rank in the top 10. Junior middle blocker Jana Mitchell is fourth, averaging 1.07 blocks per game, sophomore outside hitter Schanell Neiderworder's 1.03 blocks per game is good for sixth and freshman middle blocker Jenny Heppert (1.02) ranks 10th.
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 The Golden Knights host Marshall on Sunday at 1 p.m. for a league contest... The all-time series is tied with both teams winning one match... On Oct. 9, the host Thundering Herd claimed a 3-0 (30-18, 30-14, 30-23) victory in Huntington, W.Va. Junior outside hitter Maina Heming paced UCF with nine kills and junior setter Leah Alexander posted 22 assists. The Golden Knights hit just .048 as a team for the match. Stephanie Cahill tallied 17 kills for Marshall. Kelly-Anne Billingy recorded 15 kills and Katie Stein registered 43 assists for the Thundering Herd... The teams will be meeting in Orlando for the first time... UCF will honor seniors Chaz Arah and Katie Kohnen before the match.