Sept. 12, 2015
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (UCFKnights.com) - The UCF volleyball team got a career-high 34 kills from junior Jale Hervey, but came up short against UC Irvine on Saturday afternoon. UCF (5-3) dropped a 2-3 decision to the Anteaters at the Diet Coke Classic at the Sports Pavilion.
"We know deep down in our hearts that we're a good team," head coach Todd Dagenais said. "We know that it's a work in progress. We know that certain things aren't going to be there to start. We know that we have to work on our timing; we have to work on our communication."
The Knights won the opening set but UC Irvine balanced the match with a second set win. UCF held a 2-1 advantage heading to the fourth set where the Anteaters put the pressure on. After 15 ties and seven lead changes, UC Irvine forced a decisive fifth set. The Knights were unable to hold off the Anteaters as UC Irvine claimed the match.
Career Day For Hervey
• Junior Jale Hervey turned in a career performance against the Anteaters with a match-high 34 kills.
• Hervey hit a team-best .419 in the match, which is also her season-best.
• She started the third, fourth and fifth sets for the Knights. UCF's first four points of the fifth set came from Hervey's final four kills.
• The Huntsville, Ala., native's previous career high was 22 kills against USF last season.
"She had such a great match up that we were able to really go after it," Dagenais said. "That led to our dominance in the offensive part of the game."
Always Improving
• Coach Dagenais noted that the team continues to show improvement, even from Friday's loss to North Dakota State. He pointed out UCF's offensive production and the improved blocking.
• The Knights have tallied more kills than their opponents in both matches this weekend. UCF had 68 kills to UC Irvine's 55 on Saturday.
"I think we're a team that's still maturing," Dagenais said. "We'll get better as we go along. We just need more reps, more points, more experience."
Next Up
• The Knights wrap up the Diet Coke Classic tonight against host Minnesota at 8 p.m. ET. The match can be seen on BTN Plus.
• UCF rounds out the nonconference portion of the schedule next week in Miami, facing Seattle, FIU and Miami. The Knights are back at The Venue for the American Athletic Conference opener against UConn on Sept. 25.
Story by Megan Herboth; Photo by Todd Drexler