Aug. 27, 2011
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By Eric DeSalvo
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Playing in front of a boisterous crowd at The Venue at UCF, the UCF volleyball team rallied for 3-1 (21-25, 25-22, 25-9, 25-16) victory over North Florida to conclude the Courtyard by Marriott/UCF Classic. The Knights (2-1) were led by senior Rachel Vukson (Oakville, Ontario), who posted a double-double with 41 assists and 10 digs and sophomore Angelica Crump (Atlanta, Ga.) with 16 kills.
UCF improved to 4-1 all-time against its in-state rivals from Jacksonville.
"It was a rollercoaster," head coach Todd Dagenais said in the post-match press conference. "It was exactly what we were expecting from them (UNF). They came out with a bunch of energy and swung for the fences. They gave us a lesson in having to be composed when we start the match. A sign of the maturity of the program was for us to be able to settle down halfway through the second set and just start executing."
UCF limited the Ospreys (1-2) to a .084 hitting percentage for the match. The Knights totaled 11.0 total team blocks, compared to just 4.0 for North Florida.
After dropping the first set, the Knights rallied from being down as many as six points (10-4) in the second frame. Crump connected on four-of-seven attack attempts, and Tory McCutheon recorded two blocks to help UCF secure the set.
The third set included an 8-0 UCF run. The Knights limited the Ospreys to a -.219 hitting percentage as the hosts recorded 4.0 team blocks during the set.
Crump and Vukson were named to the all-tournament team. The pair was joined by tournament MVP Jenilee Rathje (Michigan State), Natalie Emro (Michigan State), Carli Weiler (Michigan State) and Anna Budinska (North Florida).
Junior Evija Vilde (Riga, Latvia) totaled 11 kills in the winning effort, and junior Meredith Murphy (Austin, Texas) chipped in with a match-high 22 digs.
Budinska totaled 12 digs for the Ospreys, as did Paige Pridgeon.
The Knights will return to action on Friday, Sept. 2, when they face USC and Furman at the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament in Fort Myers.