ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com)-- The American Athletic Conference stars its second half of play. UCF hosts matches against Cincinnati and ECU.
To raise awareness for breast cancer, UCF hosts its Dig Pink game against Cincinnati on Thursday. Prior to the match, 200 bracelets will be up for giveaway.
On Saturday, fans can come trick or treat with the Knights as they host Volloween. Between the second and third set, participants will be encouraged to show off their costumes and trick or treat throughout the Venue. The scariest, funniest and overall best costumes will win a Knightro bobblehead and t-shirt.
"Both of these teams have been on winning streaks for the most part since we last saw them," said acting head coach Jenny Maurer. "Any given day, we expect some pretty tough competition."
Last Time Out
- The Knights (17-6, 7-3 AAC) went 1-1 last week in The American. UCF swept Tulsa and dropped a decision to conference-leading SMU.
- Senior Jale Hervey recorded 24 kills, averaging four kills a set. Freshman Alli Sabol recorded 23 kills, averaging 3.83 kills per set, while hitting at a .225 clip. Sophomore Miranda Watkins led the team in assists with 43, averaging 7.17 per set.
- Five players recorded double-digit digs on the weekend. Sophomore Jordan Pingel led the group with 33 (5.50 digs per set), followed by junior Farah Rajaee (21) and redshirt junior Kia Bright (20). Hervey passed 14 while Watkins made 12.
- Freshman Jeanne Westney ranks second in the conference in total blocks (92). The Washington, D.C., native is nationally ranked in solo blocks (T23) and total blocks (77).
- As a team, the Knights are nationally ranked in the top-50 in six categories. UCF is ranked 25th in assists per set (13.27), 30th in kills per set (14.13), 35th in digs per set (16.47), 41st in team assists (1,101), 48th in team kills (1,173). The Black and Gold is ranked 44th in match win-loss percentage (.739), which leads The American.
Scouting the Bearcats
- The Black and Gold face Cincinnati (13-8, 8-2 AAC) on Thursday evening at The Venue.
- Earlier this season, the Knights fell 3-1 against the Bearcats on the road in Cincinnati.
- In the last meeting, redshirt junior Kia Bright led the team with 19 kills, hitting at a .326 clip and making 17 digs. Sabol tallied 10 kills, hitting at a .400 clip. The Dublin, Ohio, native recorded four digs and two blocks.
- Cincinnati's Jordan Thompson leads the team with 374 kills, averaging 4.79 kills per set this season. Setter Jade Tingelhoff has made 728 assists on the year, while Abby Williams has passed 256 digs.
Maurer on Cincinnati: "They are going to be tough. They have three players that last time hit over .300 against us. When they are hitting at such a high percentage, we have to learn to lessen their effectiveness. At the same time, we out dug them as a team. I think this is going to be a very defense-focused match. It's going to come down to who cuts down on the number of errors and who can outlast the other team."
Scouting the Pirates
- The Knights take on ECU on Saturday. The Pirates stand at 14-6 overall this season.
- Earlier this season, UCF earned a 3-1 win at ECU.
- In the last meeting, the team recorded 13 team blocks. Redshirt junior Taylor Wickey led the way with seven, followed by senior Taylor Gallart with six.
- Five players posted more than eight kills in the victory, Hervey led the team with 21 while Bright posted 12.
- In the match, three players finished with double-doubles. Watkins finished with 22 assists and 10 digs, followed by Rajaee with 24 assists and 16 digs. Bright rounded out the group with 12 kills and 10 digs.
- The Pirates have four players with over 100 kills on the season. Sydney Darden and I'Tiana Taylor have posted 195 and 194 kills, respectively.
- ECU's Sabrina Gonzalez has made 765 assists, averaging 10.34 per set.
- Brandee Markwith has passed 304 digs this season.
Maurer on ECU: "They were a much better blocking team than we anticipated. We highly anticipated and saw a very highly emotional team, they are very high energy, and they celebrate big. It's going to come down to cutting down on errors, no one has to play perfectly, but we do have to play clean."
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