PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (UCFKnights.com)—UCF Volleyball defeated Temple in a five-set thriller on Sunday afternoon at McGonigle Hall. The Knights won the American Athletic Conference match 3-2 (25-21, 25-13, 12-25, 19-25, 15-13).
"Going on the road and getting two huge wins against teams that are ahead of us in both in the standings and in the RPI is a great sign that our team is beginning to mature," head coach Todd Dagenais said. "They are getting stronger mentally and are willing to overcome whatever is in front of them."
UCF(16-5, 6-2 AAC) started the match on a strong 10-5 run. Temple fought back and tied the set up at multiple points. The Knights went up 22-19 and maintained the lead to take the opening set. The Black and Gold carried the momentum through the second set, cruising to a 25-13 victory. The Owls came out in the third swinging hard, jumping to an early 12-1 lead. Temple forced a fourth set by winning the third, 25-12.
Temple took a 6-4 lead in the fourth stanza and never allowed the Black and Gold to come within more than two points, which forced a fifth set. In the decisive frame, UCF jumped to a 3-0 lead and built momentum by extending its edge to 10-6. The Owls battled to bring the score within two. The Knights clinched the match and the weekend sweep on a Temple serving error.
Kills for Kia
- Redshirt junior Kia Bright recorded 25 kills, hitting .367 in the victory.
- The Starke, Fla., native also tallied 10 digs and two blocks.
Dagenais on Bright: "She did not have a good matchup, so we weren't expecting her to have one of those matches where she goes off. I think as she started to feel stronger, she starts to feel better. She starts to return to the Kia that we remember. She took the team offensively on her shoulders."
We Can Dig It
- Four players recorded double-digit digs in the win.
- Senior Taylor Gallart led the group with 23, followed sophomore Jordan Pingel with 20. Junior Farah Rajaee tallied 17 and Bright recorded 10.
Outstanding Offense
- Multiple players recorded numerous kills in the match.
- Bright led the team with 25, followed by Gallart with 19. Freshman Alli Sabol posted 11, while freshman Jeanne Westney had four.
Up Next
- The Knights return to The Venue to host the Tulsa and SMU.
- UCF takes on Tulsa on Friday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m., followed by SMU on Sunday, Oct. 23 at 1 p.m.
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