ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com)—The UCF volleyball team went 1-1 in American Athletic Conference play last weekend at The Venue.
Associate head coach Jenny Maurer was the acting head coach while head coach Todd Dagenais was out with a medical issue.
On the weekend, senior Jalé Hervey tallied 24 kills, averaging four kills a set, hitting at a .246 clip. Sophomore Jordan Pingel made 33 digs, averaging 5.5 digs per set between the two matches.
UCF (17-6, 7-3 AAC) started the weekend with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-23, 26-24) sweep of Tulsa on Friday. Redshirt junior Kia Bright recorded her 11th double-double of the season, tallying 13 kills and 17 digs. The Starke, Fla., native made just two errors and hit at a .314 clip. Four players hit .250 or better in the victory. Joining Bright was freshman Jeanne Westney, who led the team hitting .556, followed by Hervey who hit at a .276 clip. Redshirt junior Taylor Wickey finished hitting at .273.
"It was definitely nice to come out with a sweep on Friday," Maurer said. "Despite not necessarily playing our best volleyball of the season, we were able to close. I think it was one more step in the right direction of us growing up as a team."
The Knights then dropped a 3-0 (16-25, 22-25, 21-25) decision to conference-leading SMU. Six players recorded double-digit numbers in their respective categories. Hervey and Bright recorded 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Junior Farah Rajaee and sophomore Miranda Watkins tallied 18 and 14 assists each. Rajaee also posted 15 digs, while Pingel made 14 digs.
"I think we showed some good signs, despite not playing our best," said Maurer. "Our unforced errors got the best of us. Once we settled down, SMU had to earn the points."
The Black and Gold, who are presented by Holiday Inn Orlando East UCF Area, open up the second half of The American play on Thursday against Cincinnati at 7 p.m.
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