CINCINNATI, OHIO—The UCF Volleyball team fell to the American Athletic Conference preseason favorite Cincinnati, 3-1 on Sunday afternoon.
"(Cincinnati) executed and stayed composed in tight points during the match," said head coach Todd Dagenais. "Ultimately, they have a weapon (Jordan Thompson) that they can get the ball to and who can make plays, she certainly did that this afternoon. There is no doubt that right now they are a better team than we are, but I love our room to grow as a team still. I think we can close the gap as the year continues on."
The Knights and Bearcats battled back and forth in the first set. Cincinnati took a 21-20 lead and won the next four points to take the first set. UCF trailed early in the set but came back to lead 19-16 in the second. The two teams battled back and forth before the Bearcats took the second set, 25-21. In the third set, the two teams were tied eight times before the Knights went up 17-16 on a Taylor Wickey kill. UCF took nine of the next 14 points to win the third set and force a fourth. The Knights opened the fourth set on a 5-2 run. The Bearcats countered with a 7-1 run to take a 9-6 lead. Cincinnati never lost the lead to win the match.
Bright Spot
- Redshirt junior Kia Bright lead the team with 19 kills, 17 digs and two solo blocks in the match.
- This was her eighth double-double this season.
- "There was a point in the third set, where she boisterously and very demonstratively took the team on her back and really willed us to victory," Dagenais said. "That's something we've all been waiting for since she's come back. That's a good step for her mentally for her to throw it all on the floor and leave it out there. I thought she did an outstanding job of pushing forward despite mistakes, rather hers or someone else's, she did a really did a fantastic job of sticking with the game plan and being aggressive and assertive when opportunities presented itself."
Significant Sabol
- Freshman Alli Sabol recorded 10 kills and hit at a .400 clip against Cincinnati.
- The Dublin, Ohio native also recorded four digs and two blocks.
- "I think Alli Sabol had a special day," said Dagenais. "For her to be able to return to her home state and perform so well against the top team in the conference is very exciting for a freshman. Hopefully catapults her to bigger and better things as we move forward. She handled the pressure (of being back home) extremely well, sometimes players get rattled by that situation, she thrived on it. Hopefully this is a launching pad for her as we go forward."
Up Next
- The Knights return to The Venue as they host Houston on Friday, Oct. 7 at 4 p.m., and Tulane on Sunday, Oct. 9 at 1 p.m.
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