Sept. 12, 2014
UCF Athletics Social Media Directory
By Megan Herboth
UCFKnights.com
AUSTIN, Texas - UCF Volleyball opened the weekend with a 3-0 (25-8, 25-23, 25-16) win over Florida A&M in the 26 West Longhorn Classic in Gregory Gymnasium on Friday evening.
"It was a tough match for us to play for a variety of reasons," UCF head coach Todd Dagenais said. "I thought we executed our game plan perfectly in the first set. We lost our intensity a little bit in the second set. We saw a lot of different challenges in this match that we had to overcome, and we did."
UCF (7-1) came out dominant in the opening set. Senior DeLaina Sarden had a hand in four of the first five Knight points, with three kills and a block assist. Sophomore Kia Bright capped off a four-point UCF run with a service ace, but FAMU battled back. The Knights went on a 7-0 run to extend the lead to double digits, 20-7, and closed out the set with five straight points.
Picking up where they left off in the first, the Knights utilized kills from Bright and senior Loren Cory to take a 6-0 lead in the second set. The Rattlers put the pressure on, as four consecutive UCF errors cut the gap to two. FAMU stayed close on the heels and took a couple of brief late leads, but senior Ashley Gialenios' perfectly timed kill ended the Rattler threat. Cory and Sarden teamed up for a pair of blocks to end the set and give the Knights a two-set lead in the match.
In a similar patter, UCF scored the first two points in the third set. FAMU challenged the Knights in the early going, but UCF used kills from Gialenios, Sarden and Bright in a 4-1 run to put distance between the teams. Six of the final eight points went UCF's way, and the Knights swept their sixth opponent of the season.
"If you lose your focus or discipline, even for a second, Florida A&M finds a way in," Dagenais said. "We were able to buckle down and play catch-up. We executed the game plan in very critical moments."
Sarden led the Knights with a season-best .800 hitting percentage, as she killed nine of her 10 attacks. Sophomore Jale Hervey just missed a double-double, finishing with nine kills and 12 digs. Bright added seven kills for the Knights and senior Kaye-Alese Green had a match-high two solo blocks.
Senior Jade Hayes tallied 11 digs in the match. Senior Marie Reiterova finished with 17 assists and eight digs for UCF, while junior Dana Faught recorded 14 assists on the night.
The Knights face a pair of ranked opponents on Saturday at the 26 West Longhorn Classic. UCF and second-ranked Texas square off at 1 p.m. on the Longhorn Network. The Knights close out the weekend against No. 21 Arizona, facing the Wildcats at 6:30 p.m.
UCF Volleyball is presented by Radisson- UCF Area. Season tickets are also available for $30, good for one general admission seat to all 2014 regular season home matches. Youth (ages 2-17 years) season tickets are on sale for $15. The GOLD Pass, which includes one general admission seat for all home men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball, softball, women's basketball and track & field events, is available for $90. For more information on how to purchase tickets, visit UCFKnights.com or call 407-UCF-1000.