June 15, 2009
Complete 2009 Schedule in PDF Format
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Two tournaments at The Venue at UCF and seven total matches against teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament last season highlight UCF volleyball's 2009 schedule, which head coach Todd Dagenais announced Monday. The Knights will host 16 regular-season matches on their home court this season, which includes nine Conference USA contests.
The schedule also features 11 matchups against teams that won 20 or more matches in 2008, with five of those teams posting 26 or more victories.
UCF opens the 2009 season with the Radisson-UCF Invitational on Aug. 28-29, where it will entertain Jacksonville, North Florida, Florida Atlantic and DePaul. The Knights then hit the road for the first time with a short trip to Daytona Beach for a meeting with Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 1.
The Black and Gold continues its six-game road-stretch at the Baylor Classic Sept. 4-6, facing off with host Baylor, NCAA Second-Round participant Purdue and Texas-San Antonio, before concluding the road-swing with a doubleheader on Sept. 11 against High Point and UNC-Greensboro in High Point, N.C.
The Knights return to the friendly confines of The Venue for a battle with in-state rival USF on Sept. 15 for VolleyBowl II, and three-straight home matches follow the match-up with the Bulls, as UCF hosts its second and final tournament of the season, the Radisson-UCF Classic, Sept. 18-20. The Knights kick-off the event with their C-USA home opener against Southern Miss and follow up with matches against FIU and Florida A&M, both of which participated in the NCAA Tournament last season.
Besides the Golden Eagles, the Black and Gold also hosts UAB (Oct. 2), Memphis (Oct. 4), Rice (Oct. 16), Houston (Oct. 18), East Carolina (Oct. 23), Marshall (Oct. 24), Tulsa (Nov. 6) and SMU (Nov. 8) in C-USA action. The Blazers and the Owls both played in the postseason in 2008, with UAB advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
UCF plays its first C-USA road series Sept. 25 and Sept. 27 at East Carolina and Marshall, respectively, while also battling UTEP (Oct. 9), NCAA Second Round participant Tulane (Oct. 11), UAB (Oct. 30), Memphis (Nov. 1) and Southern Miss (Nov. 13) on its opponent's home court.
The C-USA Volleyball Championship hosted by Rice is slated for Nov. 19 in Houston, Texas, before the Knights conclude their non-conference slate on Nov. 25 with a trip to Tampa for a rematch with USF.
Post-season play begins Dec. 4 with the NCAA first and second rounds, while the 2009 volleyball season comes to a close on Dec. 21 at the NCAA Finals in Tampa.
Last season, the Black and Gold made their debut at The Venue at UCF, winning five matches in the volleyball-only facility and setting a program single-match attendance record when it hosted Stanford in its season opener.
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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