Nov. 24, 2009
By Sarah Tarasewicz
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - With the 2009 Conference USA season in the books, the UCF volleyball team is set to wrap up its regular-season slate Wednesday when it makes the short trip to Tampa to take on USF at The Corral. The in-state rivalry match is set to get underway at 6 p.m.
The Knights enter the contest with an 11-18 record on the season after closing out conference play on Nov. 13 with a 3-1 loss to C-USA regular-season champion Southern Miss, dropping their league-record to 3-13. The Bulls welcome the Black and Gold to The Corral with an 18-9 overall mark and a 10-5 BIG EAST record.
The meeting between the two squads is not the first this season, as both UCF and USF battled it out on Sept. 15 at The Venue at UCF for VolleyBowl II on Bright House Sports Network. Despite falling to the Bulls in straight sets in the contest, the Knights set a program-attendance record with 1,603 fans packing the house. The mark is currently the 269th-highest attendance for a single match in the NCAA in 2009.
Senior Erin Campbell (Kansas City, Mo,), a 2009 All-Conference USA selection, paces the Knights heading into the contest in Tampa with 383 kills, 3.68 kills per set, 21 block solos and 433.5 total points. Sophomore Kristin Fisher (Clearwater, Fla.) is the only other Knight to surpass the 300-kill mark, as the outside hitter carries a career-high 340 kills into the match.
Defensively, freshman Meredith Murphy (Austin, Texas) has posted record numbers for UCF. The libero currently holds the UCF single-season record with her 4.34 digs-per-set average, while also holding down the No. 2 spot on the register with 477 total digs. Murphy needs only 23 digs against USF Wednesday to become the first Knight to post 500 digs in a season since Miriam Metzcus tallied 572 digs in 1993.
The match against the Bulls marks the 73rd meeting between the teams, with USF leading the series, 48-24.
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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