Aug. 28, 2008
Georgia Southern Invitational Game Notes
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The wait is finally over. The UCF volleyball squad kicks-off the 2008 season Friday night when it faces in-state rival Jacksonville at 5 p.m. as part of the Georgia Southern Invitational. Matches against host Georgia Southern and Presbyterian are also on slate for the Knights over the weekend, playing the hosts Saturday at Noon, before concluding the tournament against the Blue Hose at 5 p.m. that same night.
Schedule:
Friday
Jacksonville - 5 p.m.
Saturday
Georgia Southern - Noon
Presbyterian - 5 p.m.
Records:
UCF - 0-0, 0-0 Conference USA
Jacksonville - 0-0, 0-0 Atlantic Sun
Georgia Southern - 0-0, 0-0 Southern
Presbyterian - 0-0, 0-0 Big South
Arena:
Hanner Fieldhouse (4,358)
Series:
UCF leads Jacksonville, 38-14
UCF leads Georgia Southern, 10-0
First meeting vs. Presbyterian
Live Stats:
None Available
UCF Knights
The Georgia Southern Invitational marks the opening of the 2008 season for the Knights, as they welcome new head coach Todd Dagenais. UCF returns six letterwinners from last season, including Jenny Heppert, who paced the Black and Gold with 122 total blocks and 35 service aces in 2007, while ranking in Conference USA's top-10 with a 1.06 blocks-per-game average. Despite losing seven players from last year's roster, the Knights welcome 10 newcomers to the squad that look to make an immediate impact for the Black and Gold. UCF concluded the 2007 season with a 9-23 record.
Jacksonville Dolphins
The Dolphins' match against the Knights also serves as their season-opener. Last season, Jacksonville totaled its most wins (19) since 1997 and tied for the most conference wins (8) in program history after posting a 19-13 record. JU returns seven letterwinners from last season, including All-Atlantic Sun selection Sara Bendorf. The senior outside hitter was one of only two A-Sun players to average over three kills and digs per game and led the squad with 10 double-doubles on the year. The Knights lead the all-time series with the Dolphins, 38-14.
Georgia Southern Eagles
The Knights are not the only team in the Georgia Southern Invitational that are opening the 2008 season under a new head coach, as the host Eagles are playing under first-year head coach Chad Callihan. The new head coach lost eight letterwinners from last season's squad that posted a 10-21 overall record, but returns five starters and brought in seven newcomers. The Black and Gold is undefeated in match-ups with the Eagles, holding a 10-0 advantage over the hosts.
Presbyterian Blue Hose
Head coach Chris Belshe enters his third season at Presbyterian with his 2007 squad finishing the season with a 20-13 record. The Blue Hose return nine letterwinners from last season, including four of their top-five offensive threats. Presbyterian matches the Knights in its number of newcomers, welcoming 10 fresh-faces to the squad. UCF and the Blue Hose will play for the first time at the Georgia Southern Invitational.
Starting Anew
A new era of UCF volleyball begins as head coach Todd Dagenais takes the reigns of the Knights in 2008. Hired as the ninth head coach in UCF history in January, Dagenais enters his first season at UCF after spending three seasons as the assistant head coach at the University of Southern California, where he helped guide the Trojans to a 29-5 record in 2007 and a trip to the 2007 NCAA Final Four for the fourth time in six years. USC closed out a successful 2007 campaign by ranking third in the final American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll.
Home Sweet Home
This fall the Knights will make their debut in The Venue at UCF after playing in numerous temporary homes last season. Construction on the original UCF Arena began in 2007 to make the facility into the volleyball team's permanent home. The Venue also houses practice facilites for the UCF men's and women's basketball teams.
New Face
UCF's roster features 10 newcomers, including five freshmen - four of which hail from the state of Florida and one from Trinity and Tobago. A trio of transfers and a duo of redshirt freshmen will also join the Knights this season. Erin Callahan and Kristin Fisher practiced with the squad last season as redshirts, while Janine Williams, a transfer from Florida, and Lauren Rosenthal, a transfer from Florida State, round out the list of newcomers all looking to make an immediate impact in 2008.
Aces are Wild
Jenny Heppert needs only one service ace to take over sole possession of 1oth on the UCF career register, as the senior sits in a tie for the 10th spot with Tanya Jarvis with 112. If Heppert can catch fire at the Georgia Southern Invitational, there is a chance that she could tie or overtake the ninth spot from Amy Gendreau or even the eighth spot from Michelle Cutright, needing four aces to take the ninth position and six to take sole possession of eighth.
Big Blocks
Going into the season-opening tournament at Georgia Southern, Heppert also has the chance to tie for the fifth spot for block assists on the UCF all-time register. The middle blocker has 226 heading into the event, and needs 12 to match and 13 to pass Emily Queisser's mark of 238.
Road Trip
UCF is not going to see much of its new facility during the first half of its schedule, as the Black and Gold is scheduled to play 14 of its first 16 matches on the road. Following the Georgia Southern Invitational, the Knights return home to battle No. 2 Stanford before hitting the road again for a three-match stint at the Kansas Invitational. A match against Bethune-Cookman at The Venue is the squad's last home match before an eight-match road swing that will extend though the end of September.
The Knights host the six-time national champion Stanford Sept. 2 at The Venue at UCF at 7 p.m. The first 1,000 students to arrive at the event will be guaranteed a ticket for the UCF vs. USF football game on Sept. 6. Season tickets for UCF's 2008 volleyball campaign at The Venue are currently available by calling the UCF athletics ticket office at 407-UCF-1000. For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
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