Sept. 4, 2015
OMAHA, Neb. (UCFKnights.com) -All it took was three sets for the UCF volleyball team to open the Omaha Classic with a win. The Knights (3-1) swept Drake (5-1) on Friday evening at Sapp Fieldhouse.
"I thought our block and our defense really won it for us tonight," head coach Todd Dagenais said. "We had a mission to go in and we were going to try to control the energy, try to control the effort. We knew if we did that, the defense would fall into place. I thought the defense was absolutely outstanding in this match."
Coach Dagenais also praised his team's mental toughness as the Knights found a way to battle back after trailing in all three sets. His squad overcame early mistakes and continued to find themselves in tight battles late in all three sets.
Trading points early in the opening set, the teams found themselves tied 20-20. UCF imposed its will down the stretch, scoring five of the final eight points to earn the 25-23 set win.
Trailing early in the second set, the Knights stormed back to take a 19-14 lead and force the Bulldogs to use the second timeout of the frame. UCF held its claim on the lead and took a 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-20 second set victory.
UCF found itself in familiar territory in the third set, trailing 8-3, and called timeout. The Knights came out of the huddle and responded with a 7-2 run to tie the set at 10. Trading points with the Bulldogs, UCF pushed in front 20-18 and Drake was forced to call timeout. Maintaining its composure, UCF made the final surge and completed the sweep with a 25-23 win in the final set.
Can You Dig It?
• Five Knights recorded six or more digs in the three-set win. Freshman Jordan Pingel led the Knights with 20 digs, averaging just under seven digs per set on the night.
• Junior Kia Bright posted her third-consecutive double-double, finishing with a match-high 20 kills and 18 digs.
• Junior Shelby Foyer finished with 12 digs for the Knights. Senior Dana Faught and freshman Miranda Watkins recorded seven and six digs, respectively.
Welcome Home Wickey
• Redshirt sophomore Taylor Wickey played in front of her home crowd on Friday. The Omaha native earned a spot in the starting lineup for the Knights.
• Wickey finished with five kills on 10 attempts with no errors, hitting a .500 clip. The middle blocker recorded three block assists and a solo block in the match.
Next Up
• UCF continues action at the Omaha Classic with a pair of matches on Saturday. The Knights take on North Dakota at 11:30 a.m. ET before closing out the weekend against host Omaha at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Story by Megan Herboth; Photo by Corey Oxley