Oct. 16, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF volleyball team posted 25 digs, which included five from both Erin Campbell (Kansas City, Mo.) and Meredith Murphy (Austin, Texas), in its fourth annual 'Dig for the Cure' match Friday night, despite falling to visiting Rice, 3-0, at The Venue at UCF in Conference USA action.
"Breast cancer touches so many families and so many people, including players on our team," head coach Todd Dagenais said. "To be able to do something during the course of a competitive and anxiety-driven season to just take a moment and create awareness, give a little back and raise a modest amount of money to donate to the Susan G. Komen Foundation is really nice. It is something that we will continue to do every year, because statistically, a member of our volleyball family will be affected by this down the road. I think that it is important that we all get behind this cause."
The Knights fall to 10-11 on the season and 2-6 in league play with the loss, while the Owls improved to 14-5 overall and 6-2 in C-USA matches.
"The way we look at this is that there is an 11-week season that leads up to November," Dagenais said. "Everything that we are doing now is geared toward being ready and knowing exactly what we want to do come the C-USA Tournament. Right now we are just trying to find that right combination with the right amount of experience, so come November we are no longer freshmen and we are no longer inexperienced players.
Campbell also led the Black and Gold offense with a team-best 10 kills, with Lauren Williams (Lake Mary, Fla.) and Kristin Fisher (Clearwater, Fla.) posting seven and six kills, respectively. Fisher also added three service aces, four digs and a block assist.
With her 10 kills in the match, Campbell is now only seven kills and 83 digs away from becoming only the second player in program history to record 300 kills and 300 digs in three-consecutive seasons.
Freshman Jennifer Belew (St. Louis, Mo.) commanded the Knights with a career-high 15 assists, while fellow setter Andee Youngblood (Castle Rock, Colo.) totaled 13 assists and four digs.
The Black and Gold continues its four-match home stretch Sunday when it welcomes Houston to The Venue at UCF. The 1 p.m. contest is scheduled to air live on Bright House Sports Network.
Season tickets for the 2009 season are still available for only $30, with the Knights hosting five regular-season matches remaining at The Venue at UCF this 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.
-UCF-