Sept. 13, 2008
MIAMI, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF volleyball team used a complete team effort to post two-straight sweeps on the final day of the FIU Invitational Saturday at the FIU Arena. The Knights began the day with a 3-0 (26-24, 25-22, 25-23) sweep over Oral Roberts, before defeating Penn in straight-sets, 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-18) later in the day. With the pair of wins, the Black and Gold improved its record to 6-5 on the season and 2-1 in the tournament.
"My biggest concern coming into this weekend was that we hadn't been scoring enough points or getting enough kills, and from the moment we walked into the gym this morning it felt different," Head coach Todd Dagenais said. "We executed all day at a very high level."
On the day, the Knights outhit their opponents .261 to.189 and averaged 16.33 kills per set, compared to just a combined 12.17 kills per set for both the Golden Eagles and the Quakers.
"I am very proud of how we ran our offense," Dagenais said. "Lauren Rosenthal did an amazing job of running our system and made great decisions. Our hitters went up without fear and started swinging at the ball, which is something that we have really needed them to do for a while. Hopefully this weekend becomes a springing board for us heading into the conference season, because things only get more difficult as we move forward."
In the opening match versus Oral Roberts, Lauren Rosenthal (Colorado Springs, Colo.) efficiently ran the Knights' offense, putting up a match-high 36 assists and adding a career-high three block assists. Also contributing three blocks was senior Jenny Heppert (Lawrence, Kan.) who recorded two block assists and a block solo.
Stephanie Serna (San Antonio, Texas), Janine Williams (Gainesville, Fla.) and Erin Campbell (Kansas City, Mo.) combined for 33 kills, with Serna pacing the Knights with 12 kills, while Williams and Campbell added 11 and 10 kills, respectively.
Defensively, libero Kathleen Curry (Geneva, Fla.) paced UCF with a match-leading 19 digs, while junior Melissa Reinders (Winter Park, Fla.) posted 11 digs and added a career-high five service aces.
Against Penn, the Knights had three players record double-digits in kills, with Campbell's 17 kills leading the Knights' charge. Williams added 13 and Serna posted 10, while also hitting a career-high .556 and posting a career-high six assists. Heppert followed close behind with eight kills and added two block assists and a career-high six assists as well.
Curry led the Black and Gold in digs for the second-consecutive match with 16, and Rosenthal posted 19 assists in the win.
"The team played great this weekend," Rosenthal said. "We were a completely different team than we have been all season. We have grown up a lot and we are working together more than we ever have. Sweeping both teams today felt amazing. It definitely boosted our confidence, brought us together and gave us a great feeling to come off of the weekend."
The Knights will hit the floor again on Sept. 18, when they take on C-USA-foe Southern Miss at the Southern Miss Invitational. UCF will also face McNeese State and North Texas at the event.
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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