Oct. 17, 2008
HOUSTON, Texas (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF volleyball team had three players register double-digits in kills, but it was not enough as UCF fell to Houston, 3-2 (25-23, 20-25, 25-21, 24-26, 10-15) at the UH Athletics/Alumni Center Friday night in Conference USA action. The Knights fall to 13-8 on the season and 5-3 in league play with the loss.
The Knights came out firing in the first set, defeating the Cougars 25-23, before the home team answered the challenge with a 25-20 win in set number two. Another victory gave UCF the 2-1 advantage, but again Houston (12-8, 4-3) came back with a win of its own, sending the match into the decisive fifth set. In the decider, the Cougars took the lead early and never looked back, winning the match with a 15-10 fifth set victory.
Janine Williams (Gainesville, Fla.) paced the UCF offense with 17 kills and 11 digs for her fifth double-double of the season, while Erin Campbell (Kansas City, Mo.) posted her eighth-consecutive double-double, and 11th of the season, with 16 kills and 12 digs. Stephanie Serna (San Antonio, Texas) rounded out the double-digit trio with 14 kills and a .407 attack percentage. The senior's double-digit effort against the Cougars was her 12th-straight and 14th overall of 2008.
Campbell also led the Knights in blocks, posting three solo blocks for the second-straight match and two block assists. Renele Forde (Trincity, Trinidad and Tobago) had three block assists, while freshman Sara Rex (Oldsmar, Fla.) and sophomore Lauren Williams (Lake Mary, Fla.) added two apiece.
Jenny Heppert (Lawrence, Kan.) also totaled three block assists in the match and now holds sole possession of the No. 3 spot on the UCF career-register with 340 total blocks. The senior also registered a career-high 11 digs in the contest, while hitting .643 with nine kills.
C-USA kills leader Justine Farmer posted a match-best 26 kills to pace Houston's offense, with two additional Cougars tallying double-digit marks.
The Knights continue play in Houston, Texas, Saturday night when they face league-foe Rice at 8 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. Houston (Oct 17, 2008 at Houston, Texas)
Houston def. UCF 23-25, 25-20, 21-25, 26-24, 15-10
UCF (13-8, 5-3 C-USA) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Williams, Janine 17-0-2;
Campbell, Erin 16-0-5; Serna, Stephanie 14-0-1; Heppert, Jenny 9-1-3;
Williams, Lauren 3-0-2; Rosenthal, Lauren 1-0-0; Curry, Kathleen
0-1-0; Reinders, Melissa 0-1-0; Forde, Renele 0-0-3; Rex, Sara 0-0-2;
Totals 60-3-11.0. (Assists) - Rosenthal, Lauren 47. (Dig leaders) -
Reinders, Melissa 19; Curry, Kathleen 13; Campbell, Erin 12; HEPPERT,
Jenny 11; Williams, Janine 11; Rosenthal, Lauren 8
Houston (12-8, 4-3 C-USA) (Kills-aces-blocks) - FARMER, Justine
26-1-2; ZAUERE, Ingrida 14-0-5; CHARUK, Lucy 13-0-12; CAVE, Kinsey
7-0-6; RICE, Erin 5-0-6; KING, Kelsey 3-0-7; PANOVA, Nataliya 2-0-0;
FREITAS, Barbara 1-0-2; CARSON, Amanda 0-2-0; Totals 71-3-20.0.
(Assists) - KING, Kelsey 60. (Dig leaders) - FARMER, Justine 18;
CARSON, Amanda 14; CARDOSO DE SA, Alik 11; KING, Kelsey 10; ZAUERE,
Ingrida 8
Site: Houston, Texas (Athletics Center)
Date: Oct 17, 2008 Attend: 234 Time: 2:12
Referees: Rich Richardson, Fred Buehler
Houston head coach Bill Walton was given
yellow cards in set 4 and set 5.
-UCF-