Sept. 12, 2015
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (UCFKnights.com) - The UCF volleyball team was unable to maintain its early leads against Minnesota on Saturday evening. The Knights closed out the Diet Coke Classic with a 3-0 loss to the Gophers at the Sports Pavilion.
On the positive side, fighting from behind that whole time, we fought, head coach Todd Dagenais said. I don't think at any point tonight did our morale get (broken). I don't think at any point did we give up. I thought that we fought all the way through.
The Knights jumped out to an early lead in the opening set. After Minnesota scored the opening point, UCF responded with the next five points on kills from junior Kia Bright and senior Abbie Fleener. The Knights held the upper hand for much of the set before the Gophers were able to put together a run to tie the score at 16. Once Minnesota took the lead, the Gophers were able to maintain it and claimed the opening set.
UCF started strong in the second set, using a Gopher error and a kill from redshirt freshman Maddie Haggerty to hold the advantage over the home team. Minnesota stayed right with the Knights and scored 10 of the final 11 points of the set to go up 2-0 in the match.
The third set was all Minnesota as the Gophers jumped out to a lead from the start. The Knights spread the ball around, getting kills from Haggerty, Bright, junior Taylor Gallart, junior Jale Hervey, sophomore Ann Richards and redshirt sophomore Taylor Wickey. UCF slowed down the home squad, but Minnesota was able to make the final surge and complete the sweep.
All-Tournament Honors For Hervey
• Junior Jale Hervey was named to the Diet Coke Classic all-tournament team for her performance over the weekend.
• Hervey finished with 57 kills, averaging 4.75 kills per set. The outside hitter had a career-best 34 kills against UC Irvine earlier on Saturday.
• The Huntsville, Ala., native hit .287 over the three matches. She also had 11 digs and a solo block on the weekend.
High Praise For Haggerty
• Redshirt freshman Maddie Haggerty led the Knights against the Gophers, finishing with nine kills and hitting .400. She also had a block assist in the match.
• The right side hitter finished the weekend with 24 kills and eight blocks while hitting .270 for the Knights.
I thought Maddie Haggerty really did have an outstanding weekend, Dagenais said. She's getting better and better as the weeks go. I think as she continues to focus on little things, all the big things get a lot better. She was really a breakout player for us this weekend.
Next Up
• The Knights round out the nonconference portion of the schedule next week. UCF plays Seattle and FIU in Miami on Thursday. The Knights finish the trip with a match against Miami in Coral Gables on Friday.
• UCF is back at The Venue for the American Athletic Conference opener against UConn on Sept. 25.
Story by Megan Herboth