Nov. 23, 2011
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By Eric DeSalvo
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - On the heels of its most successful season ever in Conference USA, the UCF women's volleyball team saw Angelica Crump (Atlanta, Ga.), DeLaina Sarden (Lawrenceville, Ga.), Evija Vilde (Riga, Latvia) and Rachel Vukson (Oakville, Ontario) named to various C-USA All-Conference teams Wednesday afternoon. The four winners doubled last year's total, and gives the Knights seven since joining C-USA in 2005.
Appearing as UCF's first ever All-C-USA first teamer is Crump, followed by Vilde and Vukson who nabbed spots on the second team while Sarden earned C-USA Freshman of the Year honors as well as a slot on the all-freshman team.
Head coach Todd Dagenais is thrilled by the honors his team received as voted on by fellow coaches in the league. Earning 20 wins for the first time in C-USA, Dagenais knows it was a total team effort the entire season.
"This is very exciting that we have had more all-conference honors this year then we have had all other C-USA years combined," Dagenais said. "It is especially nice to get this recognition since we didn't have any players on the preseason all-conference list. I think it is exceptionally positive outcome since we really are a team that doesn't depend on one or two people for our success.
"We spent the season working to be a versatile team and sometimes that precludes you from earning individual awards, so it is nice that some of our players got recognized because we really are a team that depends on 14 people doing their role," Dagenais added.
Following a solid redshirt freshman season in 2010, Crump took her game to another level in 2011, proving to be a matchup nightmare on the outside with her 499 kills and a 4.34 kills per set average. She totaled nine matches with 20-plus kills with eight of them coming in conference play. Due to her ability to score in bunches, the 6-foot-3 outside hitter has ranked within the top 25 nationally in kills per set.
"Angelica showed that she is one of the top attackers not only in this conference, but in the country. Every night she goes toe-to-toe with the likes of Altrese Hawkins (Memphis) and Tyler Henderson (Tulsa) and she doesn't back down. She gives us a chance to win every single match."
Helping Crump's progression as a top-tier hitter is Vukson who has dished out 1377 assists in 2011, the most by a Knight in the rally scoring era. As it stands through 31 matches, Vukson ranks fifth all-time with 11.97 assists per set and eighth in total assists. A fixture atop the national rankings in assists per set, Vukson currently stands at No. 4 in the country.
It hasn't only been Vukson's passing ability that has guided the Knights all year, but the defensive presence that the Canadian native has brought each match with her team-high 15 double-doubles and 2.59 digs per set has been an overwhelming factor in the team's success.
"Rachel has given us the passion and offensive stability to have our best Conference USA season in school history," Dagenais said of his lone senior. "Her knowledge and understanding of the game has been paramount to our success and extremely important to the development of our younger players."
Joining Vukson on the second team is Vilde who has also become an all-around weapon for the Black and Gold. As the team's second-leading hitter with 382 kills (3.32 KPS), Vilde's 205 digs (1.78 per set) and 17 service aces added another dimension to her game and gave the Knights an impressive front line this season.
"Evija has worked so hard on improving her versatility this year and continues to grow and develop as an all-around player including her blocking passing and defending. She has become so much more than just a point scorer for us."
Prior to the start of C-USA play, Sarden only saw limited time in the Knights' lineup, recording a match-high of six kills during non-conference. But as the season shifted towards the meat of the schedule, Sarden turned it on for the Knights by recording double-digit kills in 12 contests for a total of 193 (2.54 per set).
The 6-foot-1 middle blocker didn't just attack on the offensive end, but was also a force up front on defense for the Knights. She turned away a total of 81 shots, including 18 of the solo variety to pace the squad on the year.
"We know that DeLaina would become a very special player for us. She has developed extremely fast and will continue to be a forced to be reckoned with for three more seasons. It is a tremendous honor for us in a year where there are several fantastically talented freshmen to have the Conference USA Freshman of the Year in our program."
With their conference awards in hand, the Knights will learn their postseason fate Sunday night a 6 p.m. with the NCAA Tournament selection show airing on ESPNU.