Sept. 5, 2007
Orlando, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF volleyball team will be in action at home Sept. 6-8 when it hosts the UCF Invitational at the old UCF Arena following seven-straight road matches. The first match of the five-team tournament will feature the Knights versus North Florida Thursday at 1 p.m.
The Knights will play their second match on Thursday night against Florida Atlantic at 7 p.m., before facing Central Michigan Friday at 7 p.m. The Black and Gold will conclude the tournament Saturday at 4 p.m. versus Montana State.
UCF moved its record to 2-5 last weekend after going 1-2 at the Colorado Invitational with an exciting win over UNC-Wilmington to open the tournament. Tied at two games a piece, the Knights went up 6-1 on the Seahawks in game five before a fire alarm forced a 20-minute delay and an evacuation of the building. The Black and Gold used the distraction to their advantage, finishing the game 15-4 to win the match.
Five Knights finished with double-digits in kills in the victory, led by Schanell Niederworder (16), who was also named to the All-Tournament team. The senior currently leads UCF with 81 kills (3.00/game).
North Florida (0-6) went 0-3 last weekend after hosting the UNF Labor Day Classic, dropping matches to Southeast Missouri State, 3-1, Texas-San Antonio, 3-0, and Weber State, 3-0. Kavie Sturch leads the Ospreys with 47 kills (2.61/game), while Bary Rasmussen has a team-high nine service aces and 15 total blocks. The Knights are 1-1 all-time against UNF, with the Black and Gold securing a 3-1 victory over the Ospreys last season.
Florida Atlantic travels to Orlando with a 1-5 overall record after dropping two matches on the final day of the Drake Invitational Saturday to Wisconsin-Green Bay, 3-0, and host Drake, 3-0. The Owls are led by Kala Abdell's 75 kills (3.41/game) and Kendall Utz's 64 digs and seven service aces. UCF holds a 25-8 advantage over FAU going into the tournament.
Central Michigan enters the UCF tournament as the only undefeated participant. The Chippewas are 6-0 on the young season, claiming tournament crowns at both the Super 8 Chippewa Classic and the IUPUI Jaguars Hampton Inn Invitational. Central Michigan recorded wins over teams such as Robert Morris, Wisconsin-Green Bay and IUPUI. The Chippewas are led by Kate Fissel with 111 kills and Alexis Lonneman with 96 digs. The Knights' only meeting with Central Michigan was in 2003, when UCF won 3-2 at the UCF Fall Invitational.
On Saturday, Montana State dropped a pair of matches to Utah State, 3-0, and Texas A&M, 3-0, at the Holiday Inn Classic, moving its record to 0-7 overall. The Bobcats are led by Laura Viren, who has 61 kills (2.77/game) and Sarah Allen, who has 191 assists (8.68/game). In 2002, the Knights lost to Montana State, 3-0, at the Active Ankle Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind., in the teams' only meeting.Admission to all UCF volleyball matches is free. Fans attending UCF contests at the old UCF Arena should park in parking garage F on the second level and above only, located behind the arena.
Tournament Schedule
Thursday, Sept. 6
UNF vs. UCF, 1 p.m.
Central Michigan vs. Montana State, 4 p.m.
FAU vs. UCF, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 7
FAU vs. Montana State, 10 a.m.
UNF vs. Central Michigan, 1 p.m.
FAU vs. UNF, 4 p.m.
Central Michigan vs. UCF, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 8
Montana State vs. UNF, 10 a.m.
Central Michigan vs. FAU, 1 p.m.
UCF vs. Montana State, 4 p.m.
For the latest news and information on the Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. Also check out UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pics.
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