Nov. 14, 2014
UCF Athletics Social Media Directory
By Megan Herboth
UCFKnights.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - The UCF volleyball team found itself on the short side of a five-set match that featured three sets playing to extra points. The Knights fell to Tulsa, 2-3 (26-24, 25-22, 24-26, 26-28, 12-15) at The Venue on Friday afternoon.
"I think a lot of people might think it's frustrating to be up 2-0 and then you lose in five, but that's volleyball," UCF head coach Todd Dagenais said. "Sometimes things like that happen. I want this team to know that I've got their back and I'm going to fight with them."
UCF (20-7, 13-2 AAC) opened the match with a 2-0 lead on a kill from senior DeLaina Sarden. Sophomore Jale Hervey extended the lead to 5-2 with a block, but Tulsa closed the gap and forced a UCF timeout with the Knights trailing 6-8. A kill from junior Abbie Fleener, followed by a block from Sarden and sophomore Kia Bright pulled UCF within one. Sarden tied the set at 10 with a kill and gave the Knights leads on two of the next five plays. Bright's kill put the Knights ahead 22-20 and forced a Tulsa timeout. Senior Loren Cory extended the lead out of the huddle with a kill of her own. Playing extra points, Hervey's kill sealed a 26-24 opening set win.
Senior Marie Reiterova opened the second set with an ace and kills from Bright and Hervey pushed UCF to a 3-1 lead. The teams matched each other point for point, tying the score 11 times and trading lead four times in the set. Senior Kaye-Alese Green put a gap between the teams with a kill and Tulsa took a timeout on an attack error. Kills from Sarden and Hervey prompted a second timeout for the Hurricane, with the Knights holding a 23-21 lead. Green set the Knights up for match point, which Hervey delivered for the second straight set.
The third set opened with a 2-0 lead for the Knights on kills from Bright and Cory, but Tulsa pulled even at four. Tight play between the teams saw both teams take two point leads before a momentum swing for the other. Tied at 17, UCF used a four-point run to take a 21-17 lead on a kill from Sarden. The Hurricane closed the gap to tie the score at 24-all and force extra points for the second time in the match. Tulsa claimed the 26-24 set win on a kill from Erica Bohannon.
Tulsa jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the fourth set, and the Knights battled back to tie the set at nine. With the scored knotted at 13, Cory and Fleener hit back-to-back kills to give UCF a 15-13 lead. A five point run from the Hurricane gave Tulsa an 18-15 lead. UCF tied the score at 21 and Sarden got the crowd on its feet with a kill to put the Knights ahead 24-23. Trading kills, the teams tied the score at 26 before a Tulsa ace and a blocking error on the Knights gave the Hurricane a 28-26 set win.
Sarden opened the fifth set with a kill and the Knights took a 4-1 lead on another kill from Sarden and a Tulsa attack error. The Hurricane went on a 4-0 run to take a 5-4 lead. The teams reached the point to switch benches with Tulsa up 8-6 and UCF took its second timeout of the set. Bright pulled the Knights within a point, 9-8, with a kill, but Tulsa closed the set with consecutive kills from Bohannon to claim the set and match win.
UCF hit .324 for the match and the Knights out-hit the Hurricane in each set. Tulsa served up nine aces and tallied 10 team blocks to UCF's eight team blocks.
DeLaina Sarden led the Knights with 26 kills on 39 swings for a .564 hitting percentage. She tallied five kills and four blocks. Jale Hervey finished the match with 17 kills, hitting .255 and had two solo blocks. Kaye-Alese Green played four sets without an attack error, hitting .769 on the night with 11 kills on 13 attempts. Marie Reiterova posted a double-double in the match, recording 43 assists and 14 digs, while junior Dana Faught tallied 24 assists. Senior Jade Hayes posted a match-high 25 digs to lead the Knights.
The Knights host SMU at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday at The Venue.
UCF Volleyball is presented by Radisson- UCF Area. For more information on how to purchase tickets, visit UCFKnights.com or call 407-UCF-1000.