Sept. 10, 2010
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By Sarah Tarasewicz
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF volleyball team continued its hot streak in its opening match of the Courtyard by Marriott/UCF Classic with a 3-0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-23) sweep of Florida Atlantic (6-3) Friday afternoon at The Venue at UCF. The victory improved the Knights' record to a flawless 7-0 on the year.
Of its seven matches played in 2010, the Black and Gold have won 21 of its 23 sets. The only two sets the Knights have lost this season were against UNC Greensboro last weekend at the UNC Wilmington Courtyard by Marriott Tournament.
The Knights continue play in the tournament tonight when they face Big 12's Baylor at 7:30 p.m. The first 100 students to the match will receive a free Block Party t-shirt, while students who missed out on the student lottery will have the opportunity to receive a student ticket to the UCF vs. NC State football game Saturday night.
With 39 assists, junior Rachel Vukson (Oakville, Ont.) helped UCF hit .276 as a team in the contest, with sophomore Tory McCutcheon (Milton, Ont.) and redshirt freshman Nichole Riedel (Denver, Colo.) pacing the squad with .625 and .471 hitting percentages, respectively. McCutcheon posted six kills and a team-best two block assists in the contest, while Riedel matched her career-high with eight kills for the Black and Gold.
Junior Kristin Fisher (Clearwater, Fla.) led all players with 14 kills and also tallied her third double-double of the season with 12 digs, a service ace and a block assist. Fisher has paced the Knights in kills in six of UCF's seven matches in 2010. The only match she did not lead the team was when she did not play against South Carolina State.
Also contributing to UCF's offensive attack were Angelica Crump (Atlanta, Ga.), Evija Vilde (Riga, Latvia) and Brittanie Wallace (Austin, Texas) who totaled six, five and four kills, respectively.
In the back court, the trio of Meredith Murphy (Austin, Texas), Roxy Mendez (Orlando, Fla.) and Dani Harrison (Tallahassee, Fla.) combined for 27 of the Knights' 49 digs. Murphy led the way with 14 digs, Mendez posted seven digs and Harrison added six digs.
UCF made short work of the Owls in the first two sets of the contest, hitting .308 with 12 kills in the first and an impressive .455 with 18 kills in the second. But Florida Atlantic came out fighting in the third set, taking a three-point lead toward the end of the set, 16-13. The Knights were not fazed, however, as they rattled off a 12-7 run, which included two kills each from Riedel, Vilde and Fisher and four FAU errors, to seal the sweep in their home-opener.
Baylor makes its way to Orlando with a 4-4 overall record and is receiving seven votes in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll despite falling in all three matches of the Diet Coke Minnesota Classic last weekend. The Bears are led offensively by Ashlie Christenson, who has tallied 101 kills and is averaging 3.06 kills per set through eight matches. The Black and Gold trail Baylor, 0-2, in the all-time series.
UCF closes out the Courtyard by Marriott/UCF Classic Saturday against a Jacksonville team that has started the season 2-5 following competition in the Big Orange Bash and the Sacred Heart University Invitational. UCF holds a 40-14 advantage in the all-time series vs. the Dolphins.
Season tickets are now available for purchase for only $30 online at UCFAthletics.com or by calling the UCF Athletics Ticket Office at (407) UCF-1000. The Knights are set to host 13 regular-season matches at The Venue at UCF this season, which includes 10 Conference USA contests.