Oct. 12, 2012
UCF Athletics Social Media Directory
By Andrew Jennette
UCFAthletics.com
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF volleyball team showcased a balanced offense attack as it swept Memphis (25-19, 26-24, 25-23). The Knights had seven players record at least three kills as they improved to better than .500 in conference play for the first time this season.
The Knights (7-12, 4-3) out-killed the Tigers (6-15, 1-6), 42-38, while out-hitting them, .252-.196. It was a total-team effort for the Black and Gold as they did not have a player record double-digit kills for just the second time this season and the first time in a victory.
"Marie and Dana both did a great job of spreading the wealth offensively and making sure a lot of our attackers got quality swings. It was a definitely a team effort tonight and it was led by the setters, acting head coach Michelle Chatman said. I think we're the most dangerous when we can attack teams from multiple angles and directions. Defenses can't key in on one or two specific players which makes us that much more different to defend.
Every though we had low-kill numbers individually, we did a great job of being where we needed to be and having several different players pick up key kills when we needed them the most," Chatman continued. "Tory (McCutcheon) hit .500 for the match and it seemed like every one of her kills came in a big moment that turned momentum.
McCutcheon, redshirt junior Angelica Crump and sophomore Ashley Gialenios all recorded seven kills in the match. Redshirt sophomore Marie Reiterova dished out 25 assists and senior Meredith Murphy led the charge defensively with 16 digs. Redshirt junior DeLaina Sarden continued to be a force in the middle as she recorded six kills and six blocks.
UCF took the first set without trailing after a tremendous and efficient offensive performance. The Knights hit .435 in the first frame while holding the Tigers to just eight kills and a .040 mark. Gialenios recorded five kills on six attacks with no errors while Reiterova dished out nine assists.
Trailing 23-17 in the second set, the Knights staged a furious rally and rattled off nine of the final 10 points in the frame to complete the huge comeback. Strong UCF defense forced the Tigers to commit five attack errors in the last seven points. Sarden played a huge role in that defensive effort as she picked up three blocks in the frame.
UCF completed the sweep with another comeback in the third set. Memphis jumped out to an early 5-2 lead, but the Knights eventually took the lead at 7-6 and never looked back. The Tigers cut the Knights' lead late in the frame to 22-21 and forced Chatman to call a timeout, but Crump came out and blasted back-to-back kills to put UCF at match point. The Tigers 18th attack error of the match gave UCF the sweep.
The Knights remain on the road for another conference match on Sunday as they look to extend their winning streak to three as they travel to UAB.