Oct. 22, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF volleyball team concludes its season-long four-match homestand this weekend when it welcomes both East Carolina and Marshall to The Venue at UCF. The Knights host the Conference USA pair Friday and Saturday, respectively, with both matches set to get underway at 7 p.m.
Senior Erin Campbell (Kansas City, Mo.) paces UCF with 307 kills on the season and, with 222 digs, is only 88 digs away from becoming only the second player in program history to register at least 300 kills and 300 digs in three-consecutive seasons.
Defensively, Sara Rex (Oldsmar, Fla.) has a team-best 58 total blocks heading into the weekend, while Meredith Murphy (Austin, Texas) boasts a team-high 347 digs.
The Black and Gold enter the critical league series with a 10-12 record on the season and a 2-7 C-USA clip, which places the squad two games out of eighth in the latest conference standings. In order to make the C-USA Championship at the end of November, the Knights must stake claim on eighth place in the standings, and two wins this weekend would put them in position to make a run at post-season play.
But, East Carolina is one of the teams that will battle the Knights for that eighth-place slot. The Pirates hold a 9-12 record on the season and match the Black and Gold with a C-USA record of 2-7. However, ECU holds the tiebreaker over UCF after defeating the Knights 3-1 in Greenville, N.C., on Sept. 25.
The Pirates have four different players averaging over two kills per set, with Stephanie Turner leading the way with 190 kills (2.57/set) and 20 service aces. Defensively, Melissa Zentner and Lizzy Bruin pace East Carolina with 53 total blocks apiece, while Hannah Fenker has a team-leading 163 digs to her credit.
UCF trails the Pirates in the all-time series, 2-8.
Marshall already sits among the top-eight in the league, holding down the sixth position in standings with a 17-5 overall mark and a 5-3 C-USA clip. The Thundering Herd is coming off a weekend split of conference matches at the Cam Henderson Center, where it fell to Tulane in straight sets on Friday, before bouncing back to defeat UTEP, 3-1, on Sunday afternoon.
Senior Emily Sullivan leads the Marshall offense with 251 kills, a .357 attack percentage and 297.0 points, while Ryanne Milligan and Cameron Yoho pace the defensive effort with 293 digs and 56 blocks, respectively.
The Knights are 2-9 all-time against the Herd, which includes a heartbreaking five-set loss to the squad on the road earlier in the season on Sept. 27.
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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