Aug. 29, 2015
UCF v. Southern Illinois - Images by UCF Knights ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - The first tournament title is in the books for UCF Volleyball. The Knights held off Southern Illinois, 3-2, for the 2015 Holiday Inn Orlando East UCF Area Invitational championship on Saturday evening at The Venue.
"I wanted to play teams that were just like us," head coach Todd Dagenais said. "Potential conference champions, top 100 teams, and I'm glad that we were able to come out on top. We learned a lot about ourselves. We really learned a lot about ourselves this weekend. We're finding that confidence; we're finding that swagger."
The Knights came out in control early in the match and a kill from redshirt freshman Maddie Haggerty gave UCF a 25-22 first set win. A matching 25-22 win in set two gave the Knights a 2-0 lead going to intermission. The Salukis responded with a pair of 25-19 wins in sets three and four, forcing UCF to play a decisive fifth-set for the second consecutive night.
SIU made an early push in the fifth set, but the Knights refused to buckle. Encouraged by the crowd, UCF put together a string of runs and earned the match victory on a 15-11 fifth-set win.
Grabbing the Title
? UCF grabbed the tournament title by handing Southern Illinois its first loss of the season.
? The Knights placed three on the all-tournament team. Junior Kia Bright and redshirt sophomore Taylor Wickey were named all-tournament, while freshman Jordan Pingel earned MVP honors.
"I was definitely surprised," Pingel said. "I mean, I knew that I played pretty consistently throughout the tournament, but if it wasn't for any of my teammates, I wouldn't have been where I (was). All the wins were a team effort. But it feels pretty good and I'm really honored and blessed to be the MVP."
Fifth-Set Swing
? The Knights posted a .348 team hitting percentage in the fourth set while holding Southern Illinois to a .080 percentage as a team.
? Junior Taylor Gallart took over the fifth set, recording four straight kills that swung the momentum in UCF's favor and prompted SIU to use both of its timeouts. The Germantown, Md., native finished with a career-high 16 kills, including five in the fifth set alone.
"There was a lot of support on the court," Gallart said. "I felt great energy. Everyone got really excited every time I swung, which made me want to go up there and swing even more."
Big Production
? Bright posted her second straight double-double, recording a team-best 17 kills. She finished with 18 digs, two aces and a block assist.
? Senior Abbie Fleener joined Bright and Gallart in double figures, tallying 15 kills. She chipped in five block assists and a solo block.
? Pingel led the Knights with 27 digs, while junior Shelby Foyer finished with 10 digs.
? Senior Dana Faught posted a double-double, recording 24 assists and 11 digs.
Next Up
? UCF hits the road for the first time this season, traveling to Omaha, Neb. for the Omaha Classic.
? The Knights open the tournament on Sept. 4 against Drake. UCF faces North Dakota and host school Omaha on Sept. 5.
? Fresh off her all-tournament performance, Taylor Wickey will look to continue her strong play in her hometown next weekend.
Story by Megan Herboth; Video by Connor Engelhardt