Oct. 20, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF (13-9, 5-4 C-USA) volleyball team returns to familiar surroundings Tuesday, as it welcomes in-state rival Florida Gulf Coast to The Venue at UCF for its final non-conference match of the season. The contest between the Knights and the Eagles is scheduled to get underway at 7 p.m.
Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (12-6, 11-1 A-Sun)
The Eagles enter Tuesday's contest with a 12-6 record on the season and an 11-1 Atlantic Sun Conference record. FGCU has won 11 of its last 12 matches heading into its match-up with UCF, with its only loss during the streak coming at the hands of Belmont. Ana Kokanovic paces the Eagle's offense with 223 kills on the season, an average of 3.48 kills per set, while Roberta Santos has posted 525 assists to run the offensive threat. Defensively, Holly Youngquist leads FGCU with 200 digs. The Knights and the Eagles will meet for the first time on Tuesday.
Hot Steak
Senior Stephanie Serna has posted 10 or more kills in UCF's last 13 matches, including a pair of double-digit marks against both Houston and Rice this weekend. In those 13 matches, Serna averaged 3.48 kills per set (174 K, 50 sets) and hit .375.
Successful Attempt
Erin Campbell's career-high 73 attempts Friday night at Houston top the Conference USA single-match register for attempts in a match. The junior totaled 16 kills in the contest, while also adding 12 digs for her eighth-consecutive double-double.
Just What I Needed
After registering four block assists over the weekend, senior Jenny Heppert now has 69 total blocks on the season and 341 for her career, giving her sole possession of the No. 3 spot on the UCF individual career register. Heppert needs only eight more block assists to take sole possession of the No. 3 spot in block assists, with Amanda Stoutjesdyk holding down the third position with 297.
Making Her Way
Heppert isn't the only Knight looking to climb up the UCF career-record chart, as Campbell sit in the No. 8 spot in all-time attempts after posting 943 total attempts so far this season. The junior outside hitter sits at No. 8 all-time on the list with 2,253 total attempts in her career and needs 158 to match Piper Morgan for the No. 7 spot.
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.
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 this weekend.
Closing in on 300
With 293 kills on the season, junior Erin Campbell needs only seven more kills to reach the 300-kill plateau for the second-straight season. In 2007, Campbell concluded the year with 343 kills and averaged 3.14 kills per set. The junior ranks fifth in C-USA with a 3.41 kills per set average this season and is second in league standings in total kills.
Chasing the Leader
Sophomore Janine Williams is also closing in on the 300 kill mark, sitting at 275 for the season, with the outside hitter needing only 25 more kills to reach the milestone. Williams is averaging 3.24 kills per set in her first season with the Knights, a mark that ranks in at No. 10 on the league leaderboard.
Get Us to Three or Five
Despite falling to Houston, 3-2 and Rice, 3-0, over the weekend, the Knights hold their most wins in those situations in 2008. UCF is 6-4 on the season in three-set matches and holds a 5-3 record in five-set contests.
Winning at Home
UCF happily returns to the friendly confines of The Venue at UCF for Tuesday's match against Florida Gulf Coast, as the Knights hold a 4-2 record on the season when playing on their home court. The Black and Gold is also 2-2 when playing teams for the first time in 2008, defeating Presbyterian and Penn in the teams' first meeting. The Knights fell to first-time opponents Stanford and Oregon, with both teams ranking in the AVCA Division I Top-25 poll at the time of the matches.
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.
-UCF-