Aug. 15, 2012
UCF Athletics Social Media Directory
By Andrew Jennette
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - After an impressive 20-win season a year ago, UCF enters the 2012 campaign with a program-best Conference USA preseason ranking of No. 3. The Knights also received one first-place vote from the coaches for the first time in program history. Todd Dagenais, entering his fifth-year as head coach, returns an experienced group that includes six-of-seven starters from 2011.
It is always nice to be mentioned in preseason polls and it is always nice to receive individual awards, but the reality is that we have to prove where we are on the floor, Dagenais said. It is important that we take things like this with a grain of salt and know that it is more of a reward for what we have done, not what we are about to do. Hopefully this group will live up to the expectations of the coaches that voted for them.
Angelica Crump was honored by the coaches as she was named to the All-C-USA Preseason Volleyball Team. Crump is the second Knight in program history to be rewarded with the preseason recognition with the first being Erin Campbell prior to the 2009 season.
The junior outside hitter ranked third in the league with 499 kills and a 4.34 kills per set average, a figure that also placed 22nd in the nation. Her offensive and defensive success resulted in accumulating 529.5 points which appeared third best on the C-USA list. Crump became the youngest Knight to earn AVCA All-America Honorable Mention accolades along with earning AVCA All-Midwest Region First Team honors.
It is certainly a nice honor for Angelica to recognized by the coaches as one of the top players in the conference, Dagenais added. We certainly look at Angelica and expect her to build on her breakout year from last year. The good thing is I think we have more experience around her and won't need her to be that as much, but it's good to know that she can be that type of player when we need that.
The excitement surrounding the 2012 volleyball season continues to intensify as the squad will wrap up its preseason camp with the Black and Gold scrimmage on Aug. 18 at The Venue at UCF. The regular season will kick off in 12 days against Creighton in the USF Invitational in Tampa on Aug. 24.
UCF volleyball season tickets are currently available, beginning at $30. Attendance at UCF volleyball is also a great way to celebrate birthdays, corporate outings or any special occasion. Please ask about our group packages today. Fans of Olympic sports should be sure to ask about our GOLD PASS. With a GOLD PASS, you receive season admission to six UCF sports for just $90. For more information and to place an order, call the UCF Ticket Office at (407) 823-1000 or visit UCFAthletics.com.
2012 CONFERENCE USA PRESEASON VOLLEYBALL COACHES POLL
1. Tulsa (11)
2. Rice
3. UCF (1)
4. UAB
5. Houston
6. SMU
7. Memphis
8. UTEP
9. Tulane
10. Southern Miss
11. Marshall
12. East Carolina
(#) First Place Votes in Parenthesis
2012 ALL-CONFERENCE USA PRESEASON VOLLEYBALL TEAM
| Student-Athlete | School | Pos | Ht. | Year | Hometown |
| Altrese Hawkins | Memphis | OH | 5-10 | RS Sr. | Schaumburg, Ill. |
| Nancy Cole | Rice | MB | 6-3 | Sr. | Pasadena, Texas |
| Megan Murphy | Rice | S | 5-10 | RS Jr. | Plano, Texas |
| Courtney Manning | SMU | MB | 6-0 | Sr. | Mesquite, Texas |
| Cori Martone | Tulane | MB/OH | 6-0 | Jr. | Baton Rouge, La. |
| Jessica Adams | Tulsa | DS/L | 5-7 | Sr. | Oklahoma City, Okla. |
| Tyler Henderson | Tulsa | OH | 5-10 | Sr. | Oklahoma City, Okla. |
| Diana Silva | Tulsa | OH | 5-9 | Sr. | Niteroi, Brazil |
| Sam Serley | UAB | MB | 6-2 | Sr. | Nashville, Tenn. |
| Angelica Crump | UCF | OH | 6-3 | RS Jr. | Atlanta, Ga. |
| Xitlali Herrera | UTEP | MB | 6-0 | Jr. | Juarez, Mexico |
Preseason Player of the Year: Tyler Henderson, Tulsa