ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com)--The UCF volleyball team heads to the northeast this weekend for a pair of American Athletic Conference matches. The Knights will face UConn on Friday, followed by Temple on Sunday.
UCF Knights (14-5, 4-2) vs. UConn Huskies (13-4, 4-2)
Friday, Oct. 14, 2016 | 4 p.m.
Storrs, Conn. | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion
Live Video | Live Stats | @UCF_Volleyball
UCF Knights (14-5, 4-2) vs. Temple Owls (12-4, 5-1)
Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016 | 1 p.m.
Philadelphia, Penn. | McGonigle Hall
Live Video | Live Stats | @UCF_Volleyball
Last Time Out
- The Knights went 1-1 last week in conference play. UCF defeated Houston but fell to Tulane.
- Freshman Alli Sabol recorded 13 kills, averaging 2.17 kills per set, hitting at a .379 clip. Senior Jalé Hervey registered 21 kills on the weekend, while freshman Jeanne Westney tallied seven total blocks (averaging 1.17 blocks per set).
- The Knights lead the conference in three categories-team assists (915), team kills (976) and team total blocks (151).
- Westney is tied for 13th in the nation with 18 solo blocks, she has recorded 82 total blocks on the season.
- It's a tight race in The American as six teams are within one win of each other in league play.
Scouting the Huskies
- The Black and Gold face UConn on Friday. The Huskies stand at 13-4 overall this season. UCF holds a 6-1 all-time record over UConn.
- Last season, UCF went 1-1 against the Huskies; each team recorded a home victory.
- The Huskies are 4-2 in conference play. They dropped a decision to SMU and swept Tulsa last weekend.
- Kayla Williams leads UConn with 225 kills, averaging 3.69 kills per set, this season. Emma Turner and Rebecca Rivera, who share time at the setter position, have tallied 394 and 351 assists, respectively. Five Huskies have registered more than 100 digs this season. Williams leads the group with 148.
Head coach Todd Dagenais on UConn: "The thing that stands out to me is that they are absolutely dominating everybody offensively. They are hitting over .270 as a team. A lot of their players have come through the program starting as freshmen, sophomores and juniors. They are very mature, very low error, very efficient and are a well-coached team."
Scouting the Owls
- The Knights and Owls are locked at 4-4 in the all-time series. Temple closed the gap last season winning both matches against UCF.
- The Owls swept the past two weekends of conference play. Last weekend, Temple swept Tulsa and defeated SMU.
- Irem Asci leads the team with 278 kills, averaging 4.41 kills per set, to date. Kyra Coundourides has tallied 660 assists and 154 digs, while Mia Heirakuji has registered 205 digs. Izzy Rapacz and Kirsten Overton each has 64 total blocks, while Asci and Coundourides each have 23 aces.
Dagenais on Temple: "Temple is a tough team to play, as well as a tough place to play. They have a great balance of domestic and international players. They are methodically slicing and dicing opponents down, taking advantage of their weaknesses."
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