ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com)—The UCF volleyball team opened American Athletic Conference play last week with two 3-0 victories at The Venue. The Knights defeated both USF and Memphis.
Senior Jalé Hervey was named The American's Offensive Player of the Week following her outstanding performance. The Huntsville, Ala., native recorded 37 kills, 17 digs and hit at a .394 clip. Hervey averaged 6.17 kills per set, along with 2.83 digs per set.
"The last seven days was a culmination of seven days where I really challenged the team to buckle down and be mentally tough, playing so many matches in so few days," said head coach Todd Dagenais. "For us, as we try to continue the growth process of the team, I was very pleased with how they responded. Other times I thought we were really clicking."
UCF opened The American play with a strong 3-0 (25-21, 25-12, 25-21) victory over USF in the newly announced War On 1-4. The team recorded 47 kills, 43 assists and 71 digs. Hervey led the team with 19 kills, hitting at a.308 clip.
"I think our offense was okay, there was room for improvement," said Dagenais following the match. "However, I think our defense just dominated the match, I didn't see that coming because (USF is) such a high octane, very potent offense."
The Knights then swept Memphis, 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-17). As a team, UCF tallied 49 kills, 46 assists, 50 digs and eight team blocks. Hervey logged 18 kills. Senior Taylor Gallart and freshman Jeanne Westney registered 10 and seven kills, respectively. Sophomore Jordan Pingel noted 15 digs in the victory.
"I have to give a lot of credit to our serve and receive game," Dagenais said after the match. "It really allowed us to set from antenna to antenna and we were able to get the middles involved, which we have been trying to do for weeks. I thought that (Memphis head coach) April made some really nice adjustments in later sets to try to slow us down."
UCF Volleyball, which is presented by Holiday Inn Orlando East UCF Area, makes its first league road trip heading to East Carolina and Cincinnati. Knights are back at The Venue on Oct. 7, hosting Houston at 4 p.m.
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.