ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com)—The UCF volleyball team captured the Holiday Inn Orlando East UCF Area Challenge over the weekend, sweeping all three opponents.
Senior Jalé Hervey tallied 49 kills on the weekend to push her over the 1,000 mark in her career as a Knight.
"I thought we continued to grow as a team," said head coach Todd Dagenais. "We've figured out who we were as a team; we figured out what we are pretty good at and what we need to work on. But looking back and seeing a 10-3 record against a challenging non-conference slate, it's a nice outcome for us."
UCF opened the tournament with a strong 3-0 victory over UNC Asheville. The team recorded 42 kills, 40 assists and 41 digs. Hervey led the team with 11 kills, two aces and two digs. Freshman Jeanne Westney led the team with six total blocks (two solo, four assists).
"The match is not nearly as easy as the box score says it is," said Dagenais after the match. "UNCA's right side (Rooks) can score against a lot of different teams in a lot of big leagues and Guthrie can do the same thing. We knew we were up for a test having to play against those two student-athletes. I think we just rode the wave of our offense and tried to always stay two or three points ahead."
The Knights then defeated Central Arkansas 3-1. As a team, UCF tallied 51 kills, 49 assists, 59 digs and 11 team blocks. Hervey logged 16 kills, while redshirt junior Kia Bright and freshman Alli Sabol registered 12 and 10, respectively. Sophomore Jordan Pingel noted 17 digs in the match.
"What I thought was really interesting about today was that we struggled in areas of the game tonight that we excelled in this morning, and vice versa," Dagenais said post match. "I think that shows the resiliency of the team, to be able to come back and perform well in some areas that could have cost them the match. I thought there was some times there that Central Arkansas really pressed us hard; I thought that we took the punch and responded back."
On Saturday afternoon, the Black and Gold downed Central Michigan 3-2 (25-23, 25-18, 25-23). Hervey recorded her 1000th kill as a Knight along with 21 additional kills, hitting .356, and made 12 digs. Junior Ann Richards logged 16 kills, hitting .448. Senior Taylor Gallart registered 11 kills, seven digs and three aces.
"We are very fortunate to come out with a win tonight," said Dagenais on Saturday. "That's not to say that I don't think we earned the win nor do I feel like CMU gave away the win."
Hervey was named tournament MVP for the second time this season. Westney and Sabol were also named to the All-Tournament Team.
The Knights, who are presented by Holiday Inn Orlando East UCF Area, return to The Venue as they open play in The American when they host the USF on Sept. 21. This match will play host to Volleybowl and Chicken and Waffle Wednesday.
General admission adult season tickets are now available for $30, and youth tickets (ages 2-17 years) are $15 and good for one-general admission seat to all 2015 regular season home matches. General admission single game tickets are $5 for adults and $4 for youth, seniors (55+) and UCF Faculty Staff. Admission is free for UCF students. For more information on how to purchase tickets, click here or call 407-UCF-1000.