Sept. 29, 2010
| C-USA Opening Weekend UCF at Marshall Sept. 23, 2010 |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
| UCF | 25 | 20 | 24 | 0 |
| Marshall | 27 | 25 | 26 | 3 |
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| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
| UCF | 23 | 26 | 15 | 0 |
| Marshall | 25 | 28 | 25 | 3 |
Quotes from the Weekend
Head coach Todd Dagenais
On needing an on-court leader...
"We are still trying to figure out who our on-court leaders are. Sometimes it feels like the younger players are waiting for the older players to do it and the older players are looking to the younger players to help chip in. What we desperately need right now is a leader on the court."
On the team posting a season-high 11 total blocks against the Thundering Herd on Friday afternoon...
"Blocking has been a huge emphasis of ours. It is something that we take to heart that we haven't been a very good blocking team. We have always known that we have the size and the athletic ability to do better than that. And, again, I feel like that is another part of the game that we are starting to break through on. So, that is one of our stepping stones that we needed as we go forward with righting the ship."
After Friday night's match...
"The scores don't indicate it, but tonight was a much different night than last night. The feeling was much different. There wasn't the tentativeness or the apprehension that I thought was there last night and that is the first step in us being able to break through these mental road blocks. Having that freedom to just be able to compete and not worry about the outcome will make the outcome what we want it to be."
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - In the midst of its longest road swing of the season, the UCF volleyball team is more than looking forward to its Conference USA home-opener Sunday when it welcomes Rice to The Venue at UCF. But first, the Knights must close out its six-match road trip Friday at Houston and look for its first league win of 2010.
Last weekend the Black and Gold suffered a pair of 3-0 losses on the road at Marshall in its C-USA-opening two-match series, but head coach Todd Dagenais is optimistic that his young squad is about to turn the corner and become a contender for the league title.
Proof in the Numbers
The Knights finally began to break through on the defensive side of the ball Friday afternoon as they totaled a season-best 11.0 total blocks at Marshall. Sophomore middle blocker Tory McCutcheon led the way for UCF by matching her career-best with seven blocks, while junior setter Rachel Vukson established a new career-high with six blocks against the Thundering Herd.
Solo Mission
Even though the Black and Gold has trailed its opponents in overall blocks in 2010, the squad has more than three-times the number of block solos as that of its opponents. Through 14 matches the Knights have totaled 31 block solos compared to its opponents' 10 solo blocks. Kristin Fisher paces UCF with eight block solos, while Angelica Crump trails closely behind with six.
Eight More for 700
Sophomore Meredith Murphy enters the weekend match-ups vs. Houston and Rice with 692 career digs and needs only eight more to tally No. 700 for her career. Former volleyball standout Erin Campbell was the last Knight to record 700 or more digs for her career as she posted 1,134 from 2006-09. Murphy needs only 169 more digs to overtake the No. 10 spot on the UCF all-time register and 442 to surpass Campbell for the No. 5 spot all-time.
Among C-USA's Best
Junior Kristin Fisher continues to hold on to the No. 3 spot in C-USA individual standings in both kills (4.47/set) and points (4.99/set) following the opening weekend of league competition, while middle blocker Nichole Riedel ranks fifth in the conference with a .331 attack percentage.
Also ranking in the top-15 in attack percentage is fellow middle blocker Tory McCutcheon, who holds down the No. 11 spot with a .301 average.
Setter Rachel Vukson ranks sixth among C-USA setters with a 9.64 assists-per-set average, and Meredith Murphy stays in the top-10 with a 4.10 digs-per-set average, good for No. 7 on the register.
On the National Scene
Kristin Fisher also remains one of the top hitters in NCAA Division I, as the outside hitter ranks 15th among the nation's best in the latest NCAA Ranking Summary released Tuesday.
As a team, UCF ranks in the top-100 nationally in both assists per set and attacks per set.
Up Next for UCF
The Knights will conclude their six-match road swing Friday with a C-USA contest at Houston at 8 p.m. ET, before hosting its C-USA home-opener Sunday vs. SMU at The Venue at UCF at 1 p.m.
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.