Aug. 31, 2012
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By Eric DeSalvo
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - One down, one to go for the UCF volleyball team. The Knights (1-3) won their first of two matches on Friday in the Holiday Inn Select/UCF Challenge with a three-set sweep of Columbia. Dating back to 2009, the Knights have won four-straight home openers.
Tonight at 8 p.m., UCF will look to finish the Friday sweep when it takes on against in-state foe Jacksonville.
On the afternoon, UCF hit a season-best .293, including .324 in the opening set and .333 in the second. Redshirt junior Angelica Crump, fresh off her 35 kills at the USF Invitational, blasted a season-high 18 with an impressive .441 hitting percentage.
Seven Knights in all registered a kill in the match while redshirt sophomore Marie Reiterova and freshman Dana Faught dished out 33 and 11 assists, respectively. Senior Meredith Murphy added to her all-time dig total with a team-best 12, and now owns 57 to pace the squad in 2012.
A strong showing by the UCF defense limited Columbia to just a .115 attack percentage overall while six members of the Black and Gold recorded at least one block assist.
The first set saw the Knights and Lions (0-1) battle back and forth until Crump took over with three-straight kills halfway through to put UCF ahead for good and take the frame, 25-16. Reiterova had a monster stanza with 16 assists, while Ashley Gialenios smacked four of her nine kills in the set.
UCF jumped out to leads of 5-0 and 13-2 in the second frame behind a balanced attack that saw Crump blast five more kills and Gialenios another three. Seven Knights notched a dagger in the set, including Loren Cory who claimed the first three kills of her UCF career after redshirting the 2011 season. The Queensland, Australia, native finished the match with five.
The Lions put up a strong fight in the third set, battling the Knights all the way to 25-all. After a Columbia service error into the net, Crump put the match away for good with a monstrous smash.
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.