Sept. 20, 2008
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (UCFAthletics.com) - With a 3-1 (22-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-21) victory over North Texas (2-10) Saturday morning, the UCF (9-5, 1-0 C-USA) volleyball team clinched the Southern Miss La Quinta Inn Invitational crown at Reed Green Coliseum, going undefeated in the event.
"It is very difficult to play three matches in a row at a very high level and to hit with the kind of numbers we have been hitting for three matches in a row," Dagenais said. "But fortunately we were able to keep (North Texas) at bay with our defense today, otherwise this could have been a long match. I'm very proud of the team to go on the road and open conference play with a win (vs. Southern Miss) and sweep the weekend in terms of matches, it is a very important milestone for our new era."
Junior Erin Campbell (Kansas City, Mo.) was named the tournament MVP after posting 17 kills and 13 digs for her fourth double-double of the season, while senior Stephanie Serna (San Antonio, Texas) was named to the All-Tournament Team after registering 14 kills.
"Campbell just had an offensive explosion this weekend," Dagenais said. "She did a nice job of getting us points when we needed to get them. (Being named MVP) is good for her because she made the commitment to be an all-around player and not just a hitter. So for her to play as well as she did all the way around, was good for her and very important to us to be successful this weekend."
Campbell totaled 49 kills during the three-match event, averaging 4.90 kills per set and added 26 digs, three solo blocks, two block assists and four service aces. Serna hit .419 on the weekend and tallied 37 kills, a 3.70 kill-per-set average, and five block assists.
"Serna just gives us so many options when she can attack that well from the right side," Dagenais said. "She takes a lot of the pressure off of the outside hitters and she did it again today. She was second in kills today, but she hit for some gaudy percentages this entire weekend. "
Sophomore Lauren Rosenthal (Colorado Springs, Colo.) contributed 52 assists and 10 digs for her second double-double of 2008 against North Texas.
Also producing big numbers for the offense in the win were Janine Williams (Gainesville, Fla.), Lauren Williams (Lake Mary, Fla.) and Jenny Heppert (Lawrence, Kan.). Janine Williams posted 11 kills, while Lauren Williams and Heppert contributed nine and eight kills, respectively. The middle-blocking duo also registered team highs in hitting percentage, with Lauren Williams hitting a team-best .353, while Heppert posted a .333 attack percentage.
Recording double-digits in digs for the second-consecutive match were freshman Kathleen Curry (Geneva, Fla.), with a match-high 14 digs and junior Melissa Reinders (Winter Park, Fla.), who tallied 11 digs.
The win over the Mean Green improved the Knights' record to 9-5 on the season and extended their winning streak to five matches. The five-match winning streak is the longest for the Black and Gold since winning five-straight in 2004.
The Knights are back on the road next weekend when they continue C-USA action at SMU Friday at 8 p.m. ET, before going head-to-head with Tulsa on the road at 1 p.m. ET.
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.
Short Box Score (Match)
UCF vs. North Texas (Sep 20, 2008 at Hattiesburg, Miss.)
UCF def. North Texas 22-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-21
UCF (9-5) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Campbell, Erin 17-2-3; SERNA,
Stephanie 14-0-1; Williams, Janine 11-0-3; Williams, Lauren 9-0-3;
Heppert, Jenny 8-1-4; Rosenthal, Lauren 1-4-1; Fisher, Kristin 1-0-0;
Reinders, Melissa 0-1-0; Totals 61-8-9.0. (Assists) - ROSENTHAL,
Lauren 52. (Dig leaders) - Curry, Kathleen 14; Campbell, Erin 13;
Reinders, Melissa 11; Rosenthal, Lauren 10
North Texas (2-10) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Huddleston, Amy 12-0-2;
Schoenecke, Salah 9-0-4; Casvean, Roxana 9-0-4; Youman, Brittani
7-0-3; Dillard, Kati 5-0-7; Saey, Kayla 0-2-3; Owens, Breanne 0-2-0;
Totals 42-4-13.0. (Assists) - Saey, Kayla 42. (Dig leaders) - Willey,
Sarah 23; Owens, Breanne 12
Site: Hattiesburg, Miss. (Reed Green Coliseum)
Date: Sep 20, 2008 Attend: 93 Time: 1:40
Referees: Patsy Burke, Martha Leshine
-UCF-