Nov. 1, 2009
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (UCFAthletics.com) - Despite having five different players register double-digit kills, the UCF (11-15, 3-10 C-USA) volleyball team fell to Memphis (6-22, 2-11 C-USA) Sunday afternoon in a five-set heartbreaker, 3-2 (24-26, 25-21, 25-27, 27-25, 15-17), at Elma Roane Fieldhouse.
Erin Campbell (Kansas City, Mo.) led the Knights with 16 kills, Lauren Williams (Lake Mary, Fla.) trailed closely behind with 15 kills, a match-high .462 hitting percentage and five blocks, while Evija Vilde (Riga, Latvia) contributed 14 kills, five blocks and four digs.
Tory McCutcheon (Milton, Ontario) and Kristin Fisher (Clearwater, Fla.) added 11 kills apiece for the Black and Gold, with McCutcheon notching a team-best six blocks and two service aces. Fisher also added two service aces and registered 12 digs for her eighth double-double of the season.
Senior setter Andee Youngblood (Castle Rock, Colo.) guided the UCF offense with a match-best 58 assists, while also contributing five blocks, five digs and two service aces and freshman libero Meredith Murphy (Austin, Texas) recorded her fifth-straight match with double-digit digs after posting a team-best 15 against the Tigers.
As a team, the Black and Gold out-killed the home team, 69 kills to 64 kills, while also registering eight service aces compared to only three for Memphis.
After falling in the opening set, 24-16, UCF bounced back in the second to even the match, 1-1, behind three kills each from Campbell, Vilde, Williams and McCutcheon, and 10 block assists from the Knights' defense.
UCF had 17 kills in the third set, including five each from Vilde and Williams, compared to 15 kills from Memphis, but errors would come back to haunt the visiting squad as it fell, 27-25, in a hard-fought battle.
Once again the Knights rebounded after the loss to win the fourth set, 27-25. Campbell, McCutcheon, Fisher and Vilde posted three kills apiece in the set, with two service aces and eight block assists contributing to the victory.
With the score deadlocked, 3-3, in the beginning points of the fifth and final set, the Black and Gold went on a 4-0 run, behind the serving of Fisher, to take a 7-3 lead. The squad would then go on to take a 13-9 lead late into the set, but Memphis would go on a 4-0 run of its own to even the contest, 13-13. A kill from Vilde would give the Black and Gold game-point, but Memphis answered with a kill of its own to once again tie the set. The two squads would trade points one last time, before the home team closed out the match on two-straight points.
UCF returns to The Venue at UCF for its final C-USA home series this weekend when it takes on Tulsa and SMU. The match against the Golden Hurricane is slated for 7 p.m. on Friday night, while the match-up with the Mustangs is set to get underway at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon. The match against SMU will also be broadcast by Bright House Sports Network on tape delay, set to air Sunday evening at 7 p.m.
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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