Oct. 24, 2008
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF volleyball team came back from two sets down to even the match 2-2 after four, but was not able to take its second win of the season from Memphis, falling to the Tigers, 3-2 (23-25, 12-25, 25-16, 25-21, 6-15), at Elma Roane Fieldhouse Friday night. With the loss the Knights fall to 13-11 on the season and 5-5 in league play.
After falling down two sets to none, the Knights traded leads with the Tigers to open the third set and eventually evened the score, 6-6. Two blocks and a kill by sophomore Lauren Williams (Lake Mary, Fla.) paced the Black and Gold to a 7-1 run and gave the visiting team a six-point lead. But, Memphis was not about to back down without a fight, clawing its way back within one point of the Black and Gold following a 5-0 run, making the score 13-12. UCF charged back, taking a commanding 21-14 lead after an attack error by the Tigers, before a solo block from Erin Campbell (Kansas City, Mo.) clinched the set for the Knights.
Campbell tallied a career-high four solo blocks in the match to help lead the Knights' defense to 14 total blocks. Williams contributed six blocks assists, while Stephanie Serna (San Antonio, Texas) and Jenny Heppert (Lawrence, Kan.) added four block assists apiece.
UCF knew how critical it was to win the fourth set, as it took an early lead and never looked back. The two teams were even at 2-2, before a kill from Serna put the Knights up by one. A service ace from freshman Kathleen Curry (Geneva, Fla.) and a kill from Heppert extended UCF's lead to three and kept them in the driver's seat for the rest of the match. The closest the Tigers came to catching the Knights was at 17-15, but kills from Campbell and Williams put the set out of reach and helped the Black and Gold force a fifth and deciding set.
Campbell and Serna both recorded double-digits in kills for the Knights, registering 16 and 11, respectively, while Janine Williams (Gainesville, Fla.) posted her fifth double-double of the season with 12 kills and 13 digs.
With her team-best 16 kills, Serna has now posted 10 or more kills in 15-straight matches for the Black and Gold.
The Knights hung with Memphis through the first 14 points of the fifth set, but ran out of steam. With the score sitting at 8-6 in favor of the home team, the Tigers put together a 7-0 run to win the match and improve to 14-10 on the season and 5-5 in C-USA.
Curry and Melissa Reinders (Winter Park, Fla.) had 14 and 12 digs, respectively, for the Black and Gold.
UCF continues play on the road Sunday when it travels to Birmingham, Ala., to face C-USA's top-ranked UAB. The contest is slated for 2 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 Memphis (Oct 24, 2008 at Memphis, Tenn.)
Memphis def. UCF 25-23, 25-12, 16-25, 21-25, 15-6
UCF (13-11; 5-5 C-USA) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Serna, Stephanie 16-0-4;
Williams, Janine 12-0-0; Campbell, Erin 11-1-6; Heppert, Jenny 5-0-4;
Williams, Lauren 3-0-6; Rosenthal, Lauren 1-1-3; Fisher, Kristin
1-0-0; Forde, Renele 0-0-1; Curry, Kathleen 0-1-0; Totals 49-3-14.0.
(Assists) - Rosenthal, Lauren 39. (Dig leaders) - Reinders, Melissa
14; Williams, Janine 13; Curry, Kathleen 12; Rosenthal, Lauren 8;
Campbell, Erin 8
Memphis (14-10; 5-5 C-USA) (Kills-aces-blocks) - UNDERWOOD, Emily
21-0-8; THOMPSON, Lauren 13-0-3; INGLISH, Katlin 8-2-2; SINES, Casey
8-0-8; STRICKLAND, Rebekah 5-0-6; COTE, Laura 3-0-5; KNOCHE, Kelsey
1-0-1; SHAFFER, Becky 0-1-0; Totals 59-3-17.0. (Assists) - COTE, Laura
52. (Dig leaders) - BACH, Christine 22; COTE, Laura 15; INGLISH,
Katlin 9; SHAFFER, Becky 8
Site: Memphis, Tenn. (ER Fieldhouse)
Date: Oct 24, 2008 Attend: 361 Time: 2:00
Referees: Frank Buehler, Darin Clark
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