ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - UCF Volleyball continued its spring season over the weekend, facing Florida at the ESPN Wide World of Sports.
The teams played five sets as part of the Disney Volleyball Showcase. The Knights claimed the opening set, 25-15, but the Gators edged UCF, 27-25, in the second set. Florida closed the match with 25-20, 25-19, 15-8 set wins.
Coach Todd Dagenais: "I was very happy with how competitive we were with a top-five team. We handled the first contact phase of our game exceptionally well. I was excited to see how quick and powerful we were despite not tapering off on our weight training and conditioning program prior to the match.
"I thought we probably ran out of gas after the third set. Those are things that will not happen in the fall when we cycle our strength and conditioning program differently. We are starting to get much more comfortable with our offense, and our defense has improved.
"I really would like to see our depth improve a little bit more, especially in the back court. But everybody had a chance to play against a team that's likely to go to the Final Four this year. Jale Hervey is really stepping up as a senior and becoming an emotional leader on the court. I thought that Farah did a very efficient job of running an offense. It can't be easy for her to play her first match against Florida State and then Florida, but she's handled it like a pro. Jordan Pingel really shined defensively in the back row and passed nearly a 2.7, the highest passing numbers we've recorded in over three years.
"We still have a lot of work to do on our connection with the middle hitters, but hopefully that is something that will be worked on when the players get together on their own and when we start fall practice. This is going to be one of those matches where we can study the video and learn a lot about ourselves from the way the game was played. Overall, it was a huge step for our young team in such an early part of our spring training."
The Knights are back in action on April 2, facing USF in Tampa.