Oct. 2, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - After upsetting Conference USA's former top-seeded Tulsa Sunday afternoon in straight sets, the UCF (10-6, 2-1 C-USA) volleyball team looks to improve its league record when it hosts Marshall and East Carolina at The Venue at UCF for Alumni Weekend this weekend. Friday's match versus the Thundering Herd is slated for 7 p.m., while Sunday's contest against the Pirates is set to get underway at 1 p.m.
Marshall Thundering Herd (8-5, 1-2 C-USA)
The Herd enters Friday's contest in Orlando, Fla., with an 8-5 record on the season and a 1-2 C-USA mark. Marshall's pair of league-losses have come at the hands of East Carolina and UAB, while it secured a conference victory over Memphis last Friday. Jalicia Ross paces both the Herd's offense and defense, posting a league-leading .437 attack-percentage and 39 total blocks, while teammate Emily Sullivan is averaging a team-high 2.88 kills per set. Setter Elizabeth Flemming ranks second in C-USA with a 10.62 assists-per-set average. The Knights are 1-7 all-time vs. Marshall, with their only victory coming in 1992.
East Carolina Pirates (11-7, 1-2 C-USA)
The Pirates travel to The Venue at UCF with an 11-7 overall record and a 1-2 record in league matches. ECU defeated Marshall in its C-USA opener, before falling in a pair of matches to UAB and Memphis last weekend. Melissa Zentner, Erica Banning and Stephanie Turner pace the ECU offense with 2.34 kills per set, a .322 attack percentage and 20 service aces, respectively. Banning and Turner also lead the Pirates with 157.5 points apiece, while Banning and Lizzy Bruin pace East Carolina at the net, combining for 94 total blocks. The Knights are 1-6 all-time vs. the Pirates, with their only win coming in 1979.
Alumni Weekend
UCF will host its first alumni weekend Oct. 3-5 at The Venue at UCF, highlighted by the dropping of the 1978 AIAW National Championship banner Friday night during the match vs. C-USA-foe Marshall. Following Friday's banner-dropping ceremony, the Knights will host an alumni match Saturday morning at The Venue beginning 10 a.m. with fans welcome to attend the event free of charge. Following the alumni luncheon at noon, fans are encouraged to stick around and watch the Knights practice from 1:30-3 p.m. The three-day event will conclude Sunday with UCF's match versus East Carolina at 1 p.m. During the intermission between sets two and three, all alumni will be recognized at center court for their accomplishments, contributions and loyalty to the UCF volleyball program.
First Time for Everything
Sophomore Lauren Rosenthal was named the C-USA Setter of the Week Sept. 22 after averaging 13.60 assists per set at the USM La Quinta Inn Invitational, which included 52 assists in the victory over North Texas. She also posted 10 digs and a career-high four service aces against the Mean Green for her second double-double of the season. The sophomore's efficient setting helped the Knights hit .326 as a team on the weekend, which included a season-high .412 attack percentage in the win over McNeese State. The weekly honor was the first for Rosenthal and the first for the UCF volleyball program since joining the league in 2005.
Climbing in the Rankings
UCF currently has five different players rank in the top-10 on the C-USA individual register, with Janine Williams leading the pack with No. 5 ranking for her 3.39 kills-per-set average. Joining Williams on the kills list is Erin Campbell, who follows close behind with a 3.37 kills-per-set average, good for No. 6 on the chart. Lauren Williams is hitting .325 on the season, placing her at No. 6 in the league, while Heppert sits at No. 7, averaging 0.35 service aces per set. Lauren Rosenthal holds the No. 9 spot, averaging 8.24 assists per set.
Super Sunday
The Knights defeated the league's top-ranked team, Tulsa, Sunday afternoon in straight sets, by scores of 25-15, 25-21, 25-20, giving them their 10th win of the season and their first 10-win season since 2003. The victory was also the first over the Golden Hurricane since joining C-USA in 2005.
Loyal Following
UCF ranks in the top-33 on the 2008 Division I Women's Volleyball Attendance chart for the second-consecutive week, after averaging 936 fans for matches played at The Venue at UCF this season. On Sept. 22, the Knights ranked in at No. 31, before falling two spots to No. 33 this week. Also making the top-100 on the chart for a single match was UCF's meeting with then-No. 3 Stanford on Sept. 2. The record 1,568 fans at the contest ranks in at No. 99 on the season among Division I schools.
Double Vision
Junior Erin Campbell leads the Knights with six double-doubles so far during the 2008 season, which includes three-straight double-doubles in the Knights' last three contests. Campbell also had three-consecutive double-doubles in UCF's first three matches of the season. Both streaks this season are the longest in the outside hitter's career.
Turning Up the Heat
Senior Stephanie Serna has been turning up the heat in the second half of UCF's schedule. After hitting only .105 with 60 kills and only two double-digit outings through the Knights' first eight matches, Serna has more than doubled those marks in her last eight appearances. Since Sept. 12, Serna has hit .352 with 90 kills and has total double-digit numbers in kills in her last seven matches, including a season-high 15 kills at SMU and a career-high .579 attack percentage at Southern Miss. On the season, the senior is hitting .236 with 151 kills.
Sparkling Numbers
Through 16 matches this season, the Knights have put up their best numbers since 2003. No player has posted over 200 kills through 16 matches since 2003, while both Erin Campbell and Janine Williams have 202 and 200 kills, respectively heading into the weekend. Also putting up big numbers is setter Lauren Rosenthal, the sophomore has the most assists though 16 matches since 2005 with 487, with Leah Alexander posting 496 in the Knights' first year in C-USA.
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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