Oct. 16, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Following a four-match Conference USA homestand, the UCF volleyball team hits the road this weekend in a pair of league contests at Houston and Rice. Friday's match against the Cougars is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET, while Saturday's match against the Owls is slated for 8 p.m. ET as well.
Houston Cougars (11-8, 3-3 C-USA)
The Cougars welcome the Knights to Houston Friday with an 11-8 record on the season and a 3-3 league mark. In conference play, Houston has defeated Tulsa, SMU and East Carolina, while falling to Tulane, UTEP and Marshall. The Cougars are led offensively by C-USA kills leader Justine Farmer, who is averaging 3.77 kills per set (260 K, 69 sets) and setter Kelsey King who boasts a 10.55 assists per set (749 assists, 71 sets) average. The Knights are 0-4 in the all-time series with Houston.
Rice Owls (13-4, 4-2 C-USA)
The Owls entertain the Black and Gold with a 4-2 C-USA record, while holding a 13-4 overall record. Rice has been beaten by only Tulsa and Tulane in league play, while registering wins over UTEP, SMU, Marshall and East Carolina. Karyn Morgan paces the Owls with a 3.37 kills per set average, while Tracey Lam leads the league with a 5.00 digs per set average. The Knights are 2-5 in the all-time series with Rice.
Making a Mark
With 273 kills on the season, junior Erin Campbell leads C-USA in kills, while holding down the No. 4 spot in the league with a 3.50 kills-per-set average. Campbell needs 70 more kills to match her team-best 343 total kills from 2007, and with at least 11 matches to play this season, the outside hitter should have no problems.
Just One More
After tallying nine total blocks over the weekend in matches against Memphis and UAB, senior Jenny Heppert is only one block away from matching Amanda Stoutjesdyk for the No. 3 spot on the UCF individual career register with 338 total blocks. Heppert also has the opportunity to break into the top-five in all-time solo blocks, needing three to match Emily Queisser's mark of 54.
Making Her Way
Heppert isn't the only Knight looking to climb up the UCF career-record chart, as Campbell cracked into the top-10 in all-time attempts last weekend after posting 101 total attempts in two matches vs. Memphis and UAB. The junior outside hitter sits at No. 8 all-time on the list with 2,148 total attempts in her career and needs 263 to match Piper Morgan for the No. 7 spot.
Hot Steak
Senior Stephanie Serna has posted 10 or more kills in UCF's last 11 matches, including a pair of double-digit marks against both Memphis and UAB this weekend. In those 11 matches, Serna averaged 3.55 kills per set (149 K, 42 sets) and hit .377.
Leaps and Bounds
As of Oct. 13, the UCF volleyball team is ranked No. 76 on the NCAA RPI Rankings this week. The team concluded the 2007 season with a No. 244 ranking, a jump of 168 places, the largest for any Division I team this season.
UCF Player of the Week
Erin Campbell led the Knights to a split last weekend after totaling 34 kills and 21 digs in a pair of C-USA contests against Memphis and UAB, the league's top team. She averaged 4.25 kills per set and 4.81 points per set, while also posting 2.62 digs per set on the weekend. Friday night, UCF defeated Memphis behind Campbell's match-best 19 kills and career-high three solo blocks. The outside hitter also hit .224 in the match and added 10 digs and a service ace for 23.0 points. On Sunday, Campbell continued to pace the Knights' offense, tallying 15 kills and 11 digs for her seventh-consecutive double-double. The junior has had a double-double in six of UCF's seven league matches this season and has already matched her double-double total from last season with 10 in 2008. With 15.5 points against the Blazers, Campbell totaled 38.5 points in eight sets over the weekend.
Just Getting Started
Kathleen Curry continues to pace the Knights' defense in her rookie season at UCF, as the libero has tallied 13 digs or more in her last eight matches and has posted double-digit numbers in 12 matches this season. Curry also ranks eighth in C-USA with a 3.55 digs per set average in league contests. The freshman leads all other rookies in playing time, with Curry participating in 94% of the Knights' sets in 2008.
Get Into the Groove
Setter Lauren Rosenthal leads all players in C-USA with an 11.83 assists per set average in league games. The sophomore has posted 343 assists in 29 sets, which included a career-high 67 assists in the win over Marshall and 66 assists the following match in a victory over East Carolina. With Rosenthal leading the offense, the Knights have hit over .300 in three conference contests this season and six matches overall.
Two More to Pass
The Knights need only two more wins this season to surpass its win total from the last two seasons combined. The Black and Gold posted five wins in 2006 and nine victories in 2007, and with 13 already in 2008, UCF could reach that mark in Houston, Texas, this weekend.
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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