Oct. 8, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF volleyball team once again takes to the road this weekend as it heads west to Texas and Louisiana for a pair of Conference USA contests against UTEP and Tulane. The Knights will take on the Miners Friday at 9 p.m. ET, before closing out the week with a 2 p.m. match against the Green Wave on Sunday.
UCF enters the weekend with an even 9-9 record on the season and a 1-4 Conference USA mark after splitting a pair of matches last week against UAB and Memphis at The Venue at UCF. The Black and Gold fell in a five-set heartbreaker to open the weekend on Friday, before rallying back to sweep the visiting Tigers in three sets on Sunday afternoon.
In Friday's match-up with UAB, the Knights registered some career-highs and also put their names into the UCF record books. As a team, the Black and Gold tallied 109 digs against the Blazers, matching the No. 8 mark on the program's individual-match record. Libero Meredith Murphy (Austin, Texas) accounted for 33 of those digs, which was not only a career-high for the freshman, but also matched the third-highest mark for a match in program-history.
Outside hitters Kristin Fisher (Clearwater, Fla.) and Erin Campbell (Kansas City, Mo.) also produced career-highs in the contest versus UAB, with Fisher posting a career-best 20 kills and Campbell registering a personal-best 28 digs. Campbell also matched two career highs in the match with 22 kills and four block solos.
Prior to last weekend's pairings with UAB and Memphis, Fisher ranked 18th in Conference USA's league-only standings with a 2.90 kills-per-set average. Once the weekend was over, the outside hitter jumped nine spots to No. 9 on the register with a 3.59 kills-per-set average. In the duo of matches Fisher averaged 4.50 kills per set (36 kills/8 sets) and hit .268. She also added 27 digs and two service aces.
The Miners entertain the Knights at Memorial Gym Friday with an identical 9-9 overall record, but boast one more win than the Black and Gold in league-play, checking in at 2-3. UTEP fell in two-straight C-USA matches on the road last weekend, dropping a pair of 3-0 contests to Rice and Houston.
Tulane enters the weekend 9-5 on the year after picking up a 3-0 win at Rice on Sunday afternoon. The Green Wave fell earlier in the week in a five-set thriller to Houston. With a 4-1 league clip, Tulane will battle Southern Miss Friday for sole possession of first place in the early C-USA standings.
Season tickets for the 2009 season are still available for only $30, with the Knights hosting six 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.
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