Sept. 26, 2008
DALLAS, Texas (UCFAthletics.com) - Despite getting a pair of double-doubles from Janine Williams (Gainesville, Fla.) and Erin Campbell (Kansas City, Mo.), the UCF volleyball team fell to host and Conference USA-rival SMU, 3-2 (25-23, 25-20, 15-25, 22-25, 5-15), Friday night at Moody Coliseum after leading the Mustangs (8-7, 1-1 C-USA), 2-0, after two sets.
"I think this match is going to be a tough one for us to swallow because we felt like we were in control of the match early on," head coach Todd Dagenais said. "I thought that SMU made some great adjustments. I thought that they really came out with a ton of energy and played like a team should play when they are down 0-2. We tried to adjust based on their adjustments and we just were not able to execute at the same level."
With the loss, the Knights fell to 9-6 on the season, evened its league record to 1-1 and snapped its five-match winning streak.
Williams and Stephanie Serna (San Antonio, Texas) each posted a team-high 15 kills in the match, while Williams also added 10 digs and three total blocks. Campbell matched Williams' 10 digs, while adding 13 kills.
Setter Lauren Rosenthal (Colorado Springs, Colo.) totaled a match-high 45 assists, while Kathleen Curry (Geneva, Fla.) posted a career and match-high 27 digs, tying for the 11th spot on the UCF individual match register. Melissa Reinders (Winter Park, Fla.) also posted a career-high with 18 digs in the match.
Also producing for the Knights' defense was middle-blocker Jenny Heppert (Lawrence, Kan.). The senior had a season-high five block assists, almost half of the team's 12 total block assists.
The Knights trailed the Mustangs for a majority of the first set, but a 5-1 run late gave them the 17-14 lead. SMU climbed right back into the set with a 3-0 run to even the score, before a 5-3 run clinched the opening-set victory for the Black and Gold.
UCF was in control the entire second set, leading by as many as seven points mid-way through the contest. The Mustangs pulled to within two points, 20-18, toward the end of the set, but Serna had four-consecutive kills to lead the Knights on a 5-2 run to secure the second set and take a 2-0 advantage in the match.
UCF could not hold on to its lead, however, dropping the next three sets to the home team.
The Knights conclude their eight-match road-swing Sunday at Tulsa. The match is scheduled to begin 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 SMU Mustangs (Sep 26, 2008 at Dallas, Texas)
SMU Mustangs def. UCF 23-25, 20-25, 25-15, 25-22, 15-5
UCF (9-6, 1-1 C-USA)
(Kills-aces-blocks) - Serna, Stephanie 15-0-1;
Williams, Janine 15-0-3; Campbell, Erin 13-0-1; Williams, Lauren
6-0-0; Heppert, Jenny 4-0-5; Reinders, Melissa 1-1-0; YOUNGBLOOD,
Andrea 1-0-1; Rosenthal, Lauren 0-1-3; Curry, Kathleen 0-1-0; Totals
55-3-8.0. (Assists) - Rosenthal, Lauren 45. (Dig leaders) - CURRY,
Kathleen 27; Reinders, Melissa 18; Campbell, Erin 10; Williams, Janine
10; Rosenthal, Lauren 8
SMU Mustangs
(8-7, 1-1 C-USA) (Kills-aces-blocks) - WILKERSON, Kathryn
21-0-1; POWELL, Dana 14-0-3; KAHANEK, Kendra 12-0-7; PETERS, Natalie
11-0-6; KONS, Stefanie 4-0-3; OLIVER, Jessica 2-0-0; ZIELASKO,
Adrienne 1-0-2; BECERRA, Kelli 0-1-0; Totals 65-1-13.0. (Assists) -
KONS, Stefanie 29; BECERRA, Kelli 23. (Dig leaders) - WILKERSON,
Kathryn 23; STEWART, Sidney 19; POWELL, Dana 18; BERGQUIST, Carly 8
Site: Dallas, Texas (Moody Coliseum)
Date: Sep 26, 2008 Attend: 156 Time: 2:08
Referees: Michael Denardo, Steve Robb
-UCF-