Dec. 4, 2008
Final Game Notes in PDF Format
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Head coach Todd Dagenais made his presence known in 2008, taking the UCF volleyball team from down and out in 2007 to a worthy competitor in his first season with the Knights. The Black and Gold posted a 15-17 overall record, its best mark since 2003, and matched its best Conference USA record, going 6-10 in the fifth-toughest volleyball conference in the nation. Here is a look at the squad's additional accomplishments this season:
? Jumped from 244 to 115 on the NCAA Women's Volleyball RPI, an improvement of 129 spots
? Posted a 15-17 overall record, its best mark in five years
? Tied the 2005 squad for the most wins in C-USA play with a 6-10 league mark
? Its eighth-place finish in the C-USA standings was its highest finish to date
? Secured only its second win in the C-USA Championship with a victory over SMU
? Defeated five teams in C-USA that it had never previously beaten: East Carolina, Marshall, SMU, Tulsa and UTEP
? Registered a five-match winning streak from Sept. 13-20, its longest streak since 2004
? Jenny Heppert (Lawrence, Kan.) became the first UCF volleyball player to be named to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Second Team
? Stephanie Serna (San Antonio, Texas) became the first UCF volleyball player to be voted onto the All-C-USA Second Team
? Lauren Rosenthal (Colorado Springs, Colo.) became the first UCF volleyball player to be named a C-USA Player of the Week after earning Setter of the Week honors on two occasions
? Was the only C-USA team to have three players post 300 or more kills: Erin Campbell (402), Janine Williams (390) and Stephanie Serna (376)
? Shattered the program attendance record when 1,568 fans came to the opening match at The Venue vs. No. 3 Stanford
? Played UAB for first-place in the league on Oct. 12
Eight is Great
UCF's eighth-place tie in C-USA this season was its highest finish since joining the league in 2005 and its No. 9 ranking in the C-USA Championship was its best placing since its inaugural season, when the Knights entered the tournament with the same seeding and same 6-10 league mark.
Academic All-America
Senior Jenny Heppert (Lawrence, Kan.) was honored by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) with a spot on the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Volleyball Second Team. Heppert became the first UCF volleyball player to garner Academic All-America® honors and was the only Conference USA representative on any squad. The senior holds a 4.0 cumulative grade-point average and is expected to graduate in the spring with a degree in biology.
League Honors
The UCF volleyball team was honored at the Conference USA Volleyball Championship Banquet with its first all-conference selection and its second all-academic selection since joining the league in 2005. Senior Stephanie Serna (San Antonio, Texas) became the first volleyball Knight to be selected to the All-C-USA Second Team, while fellow senior Jenny Heppert (Lawrence, Kan.) garnered her second-consecutive selection to the C-USA All-Academic Team.
First Player of the Week
Sophomore Lauren Rosenthal (Colorado Springs, Colo.) became the first UCF volleyball player to be named the C-USA Setter of the Week on Sept. 22, after helping lead the Knights to the Southern Miss La Quinta Inn Invitational title and its first conference victory since 2006. Rosenthal earned a second Setter of the Week nod on Oct. 6, after helping lead the UCF volleyball team to its first league-sweep at home against Marshall and East Carolina
Playing No. 3
The Knights' match vs. No. 3 Stanford on Sept. 2 marked the opening of The Venue at UCF and their match against their highest ranked Division I opponent. The 1,568 fans that attended the match shattered the program attendance record and was No. 254 on the 2008 Women's Volleyball Single-Match Attendance Record.
34 and Done
One of UCF's all-time leading blockers, senior Jenny Heppert (Lawrence, Kan.) posted at least one block in 34-consecutive contests to conclude her career, dating back to 2007. Heppert started the streak on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2007, after totaling 4.0 total blocks against Southern Miss and concluded the streak after posting two blocks in the Knights' final match of the season vs. Tulane in the C-USA Championship.
Putting It Down
Erin Campbell (Kansas City, Mo.), Janine Williams (Gainesville, Fla.) and Stephanie Serna (San Antonio, Texas) all finished the 2008 season with more than 300 kills, as the trio posted 402, 390 and 376 kills, respectively, for the Knights' offense. UCF was the only team in the league to have three players with more than 300 kills, with Tulane and Tulsa each having two players surpass the plateau. The last time UCF had a threesome with 300+ kills in a season was in 2003. That year, the trio of Emily Watts, Tanya Jarvis and Amanda Stoutjesdyk totaled 417, 381 and 349 kills, respectively.
Leaps and Bounds
As of Dec. 1, the UCF volleyball team was ranked 115 on the latest NCAA Women's Volleyball RPI. The Knights finished the 2007 season at 244 on the chart, an improvement of 129 spots. During the season, the Black and Gold ranked as high as 76 in the RPI on Oct. 13, a jump of 168 places, the largest for any Division I team this season.
Career Marks
Jenny Heppert (Lawrence, Kan.) made her mark on the UCF record books in 2008, climbing the chart in numerous career categories. The senior finished her career ranking No. 3 all-time in block assists (319) and total blocks (375), while sitting in the fifth spot for block solos (56). Heppert also ranks seventh on the career register in service aces per set (0.35) and eighth in service aces (139) and sets played (402).
Erin Campbell (Kansas City, Mo.) and Stephanie Serna (San Antonio, Texas) also saw their names climb the ranks of the UCF career register, with Campbell ranking fourth in digs per set (2.67), fifth in attempts per set (8.30), seventh in attempts (2,640) and 10th in digs (849). Serna weighs in at No. 9 in kills (896) and No. 10 in attempts (2,100).
Spectator Sport
The Knights energy and success were contagious this season, as they averaged 482 fans in their first season playing in The Venue at UCF in 2008, an 86 percent increase from their 259 fans per match in 2007. Overall, the Black and Gold entertained a total of 4,819 UCF loyal, which was a 46 percent jump from last season when a total of 3,365 fans came out to watch the squad in three fewer matches.
Playing for First Place
On Oct. 12, the Knights did something that no UCF volleyball team before them had ever done. They were playing for first place in C-USA the standings. Both UCF and UAB entered the mid-October contest at The Venue at UCF with a 4-1 league record, with the winner taking home top-C-USA honors that week. Despite falling in the contest to the Blazers, the Black and Gold got its first taste of what it takes to be an elite team in the conference.
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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