Aug. 9, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Following an offseason full of change, hope and excitement, the UCF volleyball team finally hit the court Saturday morning when it opened preseason camp at The Venue. Players and coaches alike have been waiting months for this day to come, as they prepare for their season-opener against in-state rival Jacksonville on Aug. 29 at the Georgia Southern Tournament.
"It's so nice to actually be in the gym and touch the ball," head coach Todd Dagenais said. "All the energy and enthusiasm now gets to be channeled in the direction of getting better. It was fun because the pace of practice was quick and everybody adapted to the pace very well. If we can practice at that kind of pace and tempo we can get a lot done in a short amount of time and that is one of our practice goals."
The Knights more than impressed Dagenais in their first workout of the season with their hard work, determination and leadership on the floor.
"I think the young people and newcomers are getting acclimated very fast and veterans showed tremendous leadership in the first practice," Dagenais said. "So, all-in-all we took the step forward that we needed to take in this practice today. We are starting to work on a lot of the basic stuff right now, but once we get through the foundation-work I am looking forward to start putting everything together somewhere down the road. "
The volleyball squad returns six letterwinners from last season's team, including ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III selection Jenny Heppert, while welcoming a group of 10 newcomers.
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. The Knights open the 2008 season Aug. 29 at the Georgia Southern Invitational, before opening The Venue against No. 2 Stanford on Sept. 2. 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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