Feb. 18, 2010
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - After posting a season record of 12-18, the UCF Volleyball team is looking to continue developing the experience of the young squad.
"This spring is going to be all about individual development and team cohesion since we return such a young group of players," head coach Todd Dagenais said.
The team is taking full advantage of the one-on-one practices designed to improve specific, individual skill that will have a positive effect on overall team play.
Along with this individual training, the coaching staff is incorporating some team work into the schedule with the primary focus on offensive systems. The Knights welcomed a new teammate this spring, freshman setter Marie Reitrova (Rokycany, CZE.). The rather experienced freshman comes in with a unique skill set that the coaching staff is looking to utilize.
"She had a great deal of experience setting a faster offense which is something we definitely want to explore" Dagenais said. "The inherent danger of a fast offense is that it can be high error, so we are spending a lot of time this spring working on individual skill that can be effective in a high risk offense."
Much of the adversity the Knights faced in the 2009 season was due to season ending injuries experienced by Brittanie Wallace, Nichole Riedel and Sara Rex who coach Dagenais said are "progressing nicely". Both Wallace and Riedel have been granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA that will help the squad continue building on the foundation that the team has put into place.
The Knights will have the opportunity to test their offense with a busy spring schedule, which beings with a scrimmage against Marquette March 20 in The Venue at UCF. The event will consist of controlled drills in the morning and continue with a full match later on in the evening.
UCF will also host a 12-team spring tournament with opponents from all over the state of Florida including Florida Atlantic, Florida Gulf Coast, Florida International, Florida Southern, University of Florida (tentative) and the University of Tampa. All the proceeds from the tournament will go to the Central Florida Children's Home.
The rest of the spring schedule includes a tournament at Jacksonville University where the Knights will take on the three-time NCAA National Champion, Penn State on April 24 and a beach tournament in which the team competed in a year ago, Fiesta on Siesta, on April 17.
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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