Oct. 9, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF (12-6, 4-1 C-USA) volleyball team looks to extend its three-match Conference USA win streak this weekend when it hosts Memphis and UAB at The Venue at UCF in a pair of league-contests. The Knights will face the Tigers Friday evening at 7 p.m., before challenging UAB for the top-ranking in C-USA Sunday at 1 p.m.
Memphis Tigers (12-6, 3-2 C-USA)
The Tigers enter Friday's contest with a 12-6 record on the season and a 3-2 conference record after splitting its past two league-weekends. Memphis defeated conference-leader UAB on the road in its C-USA opener, before winning matches against East Carolina and UTEP and falling to Marshall and Tulane. The Tigers lead the league with 209 total blocks, led by Emily Underwood's league-best 1.68 blocks per set. Rebekah Strickland leads the Tigers offesively with a 2.66 kills-per-set average, while Katlin Inglish is averaging 2.59 kills per set.
UAB Blazers (14-3, 4-1 C-USA)
The Blazers are tied for first place in C-USA with UCF heading into the weekend, as they both hold a 4-1 league mark. But, UAB carries with them a 14-3 overall record, falling only to then-No. 8 Florida and Western Michigan in its first two matches of 2008 and, following a six-match winning streak, league-foe Memphis. Following their loss to the Tigers, the Blazers rebounded and are riding an eight-match winning streak. Casey Dent paces UAB with a .437 hitting percentage, a mark that ranks second in the league.
Pair of Nailbiters
The Knights earned their way to the top-spot in the league with a pair of five-set wins over Marshall and East Carolina last weekend, two teams that UCF has never beaten in league play. Friday, the Black and Gold traded wins with the Thundering Herd through four sets before winning the decisive fifth set, 15-12, to take the match. Sunday, the Knights came back from two sets down to defeat the Pirates, 3-2, in five sets.
Another First for the Knights
UCF currently sits in a tie for first place in the conference with UAB, with both teams holding a 4-1 league mark. The Knights have never had a 4-1 record in conference play since joining C-USA in 2005 and have never held or tied for the top-spot in the league through the first half of its conference-tilt since that time.
Looking Familiar
UCF's meeting with Memphis pairs two first-year head coaches against one another. Both UCF head coach Todd Dagenais and Memphis head coach April Jauregui are in their first seasons with their respective schools. Both Dagenais and Jauregui hold a 12-6 record in their rookie seasons, with Dagenais' Knights boasting one more league win than the Tigers.
Double Take
For the second time this season, sophomore Lauren Rosenthal was named the C-USA Setter of the Week Monday after totaling 133 assists in 10 sets, an average of 13.30 APS. The setter had a career-high 67 assists in UCF's 3-2 win over Marshall Friday, a mark that ranks second in the league for an individual match, and nearly matched her career-high Sunday against ECU, dishing out 66 assists in the five-set win. Rosenthal also earned the honor on Sept. 22.
Making a Mark
Junior Erin Campbell leads C-USA in kills heading into the weekend with 239 through 70 sets this season. Campbell and Janine Williams both rank in the top-6 on C-USA's Individual Leaders chart, with Campbell sitting at the No. 4 spot with 3.41 kills per set. Williams' 3.38 kills per set average places her at No. 6 heading into Friday's contest.
Less Than a Dozen
With 328 total blocks in her career, senior Jenny Heppert needs only 10 more blocks to match Amanda Stoutjesdyk for the No. 3 spot on the UCF individual career records chart. Heppert leads the Knights in 2008 with 52 block assists, while posting a 0.80 blocks per set average.
Making Her Way
Heppert isn't the only Knight looking to climb onto the UCF career-record chart, as Campbell looks to crack the top-10 in all-time attempts. The junior outside hitter has 1,936 total attempts in her career and needs 94 more attempts to match Stephanie Noiseux for the No. 10 spot with 2,030.
Five-Set Warriors
With their pair of five-set wins last weekend, the Knights hold a 5-2 record on the season when the match goes into the decisive fifth set. UCF has posted five-set wins over Jacksonville, Presbyterian, Utah Valley State, Marshall and East Carolina in 2008. The only losses they sustained in the fifth set came on the road at Georgia Southern and SMU.
Making a Statement
Through 18 matches this season, the Knights have outkilled their opponents by more than 100. UCF has tallied 927 kills in 2008, while its opponents have registered 823, a difference of 104 kills. The Black and Gold has also hit for a better percentage then its foes, outhitting its opponents .218 to .194.
When the Knights Face Memphis, UAB
UCF is 5-9 in the all-time series with Memphis, with its last defeat over the Tigers coming in 2005 in the opening round of the C-USA Championship. The Knights are 5-6 all-time in the series vs. UAB, with the Black and Gold posting a straight-set win over the Blazers in 2005.
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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