Sept. 3, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF volleyball team is set to compete against some of the nation's top teams this weekend when it heads to Waco, Texas, for the Baylor Classic. At the event, the Knights will take on the host Bears Friday at 8 p.m. ET, before facing off with No. 24 Purdue and UTSA Saturday at 10 a.m. ET and 6:30 p.m. ET, respectively.
Live stats will be available for all three of the Knights' matches during the Baylor Classic, while the UCF-Baylor match will also have live audio.
The Knights bring a flawless 5-0 record with them to the Baylor Classic beginning Friday after winning the Radisson-UCF Invitational last weekend with victories over Jacksonville, North Florida, Florida Atlantic and DePaul, before sweeping Bethune-Cookman in a non-conference contest on the road Tuesday.
In its first five matches of the season, the Black and Gold have only lost one set, winning its last 15-consecutive sets, while carrying a 5-0 record for the first time since 1995. The last time UCF won 15-straight sets was in 1997, when the team went on a 25-set winning streak and eventually won the Atlantic Sun Championship and competed in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Radisson-UCF Invitational MVP Erin Campbell (Kansas City, Mo.) and sophomore Kristin Fisher (Clearwater, Fla.) lead the UCF offense heading into the weekend with 3.44 and 3.35 kills per set, respectively, while freshmen Nichole Riedel (Denver, Colo.) and Meredith Murphy (Austin, Texas) have anchored the Knights' defense early in the season.
Riedel has posted 1.19 blocks per set through UCF's first five contests and Murphy has totaled a team-leading 3.38 digs per set in her first season as the Knights' starting libero.
Murphy, Kristen Petrasic (Carrollton, Texas) and Brittanie Wallace (Austin, Texas) will compete close to home when they play in the Baylor Classic, as each grew up only a little over 100 miles from Waco.
Baylor, who is receiving votes in this week's AVCA Coaches Poll, hosts the tournament and opens its part of the event against the Knights Friday with a perfect record of its own. With sweeps of Southeastern Louisiana, Houston and New Orleans, and a five-set win over TCU, the Bears have posted a 4-0 record early in the season.
UCF and Baylor have only met one time prior to their match-up on Friday, with the Bears claiming a four-set win over the Knights in 1993.
The Knights will be tested again on Saturday morning when they take on No. 24 Purdue in the day's opening match. The Boilermakers posted a 2-1 record last weekend after hosting the Mortar Board Premier, sweeping Ball State and Coastal Carolina, before falling to Dayton, 3-2, in the finale.
The Boilermakers hold the advantage in the all-time series, winning both previous matches against UCF. In their last meeting Purdue defeated the Black and Gold in a five-set heartbreaker to open the 1998 season.
In its final match of the weekend, UCF will take on a 2-2 UTSA squad for the first time in program history. The Roadrunners opened the 2009 season with a 3-2 victory at North Texas, but dropped two-straight matches to Northern Colorado and SMU at the Mean Green Classic. The squad then bounced back with a four-set win over Prairie View A&M Tuesday in preparation for this weekend's tournament.
Season tickets for the 2009 season are on sale now for only $30, with the Knights hosting 16 regular-season matches at The Venue at UCF throughout the year.
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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