ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com)—UCF Volleyball has signed four talented recruits during the early signing period, as announced by head coach Todd Dagenais.
The Knights will add a setter, a defensive specialist and a pair of outside hitters to the roster for 2017. The Black and Gold are looking to replace a defensive specialist and two outside hitters.
| 2016 UCF Volleyball Signing Class |
| Name | Pos. | Cl. | Hometown / H.S. |
| Kat Felice | DS | 5'8" | Neptune Beach, Fla. (Fletcher) |
| Alex Fisher | S | 5'6" | Chandler, Ariz. (Basha) |
| Kristina Fisher | OH | 5'11" | Austin, Texas (Anderson) |
| Anne-Marie Watson | OH | 6'0" | Oviedo, Fla. (Hagerty) |
Last season, the Black and Gold recorded 23 victories, accounting for the second-most amount of wins in the Dagenais' era. The Knights finished fourth in the American Athletic Conference, finishing better than the 2015 season where they finished seventh. UCF started the season with a 10-3 record in non-conference play, before going 13-7 in The American play, which is the second-best record since Dagenais has been at UCF. The Knights will start to prepare for the 2017 campaign in January.
| Kat Felice |
| DS | 5-8 | Fr. | Neptune Beach, Fla. (Fletcher) |
Prior to UCF: - Three-year letter winner at Fletcher High School, coached by Mark McGiveron
- Served as team captain for senior season
- 2016 All-Conference recipient
- Lead the team with 264 digs, and 41 aces
- Four-year member of AICE (Advanced International Certificate of Education)
- Member of National Honor Society and Key Club (president)
"Kat is a very quick, agile, and dynamic backcourt player. We knew we needed to add depth to that position with somebody who has the physical and mental capability to handle playing at a high level. Kat fit that role perfectly for us."."
-Head Coach Todd Dagenais |
| Alex Fisher |
| S | 5-6 | Fr. | Chandler, Ariz. (Basha) |
Prior to UCF: - Four-year letterwinner at Basha High School coached by Terri Spann
- Finished the 2016 season with 747 assists, for a four-year varsity total to 3,796 assists
- Named MaxPreps Player of the Match against then-ranked No. 1-6A Hamilton High School
- Earned Arizona Republic All-State Second Team in junior season
- Basha Academic Athlete Award (4.0+ GPA) during junior season
- Member of National Honor Society, and Basha Chief Science Officer
"When we evaluated Alex as a sophomore, we felt like she was one of the top five setters in the nation. Her on court presence, leadership, and ability to bond a team, is going to be essential to the future of our program. She has absolutely no fear when she is leading an offense."
-Head Coach Todd Dagenais |
| Kristina Fisher |
| OH | 5-11 | Fr. | Austin, Texas. (Anderson) |
Prior to UCF: - Four-year letterwinner at Anderson High School being coached by Shalanda Byers
- Three-time All-AISD Tournament Team
- Two-time All-District First Team and District 14-6A MVP
- Two-time MVP and offensive MVP
- Earned the 2016 All-District Academic Award
- Member of the National Honor Socierty
- Earned the 2016 Trustees Scholar Award
"Kristina is a terminator. She has the versatility to play both left side and right side, very similar to Taylor Gallart. She was the leading outside hitter in central Texas this past year. She has the ability to come in and have an immediate impact in many different ways being a six rotation player. She brings the Texas grit and Texas fight that we have always enjoyed in our program."
-Head Coach Todd Dagenais |
| Anne-Marie Watson |
| OH | 6-0 | Fr. | Winter Park, Fla. (Hagerty) |
Prior to UCF: - Three-year letterwinner at Hagerty High School, while being coached by Juanita Hitt
- Two-time All-Seminole Conference First Team
- Two-time District Champion (team)
- Member of the National Technical Honor Society, Future Educators of America and Lamp of Knowledge
- Placed on Volleyball Preps All-American Watch List
"We discovered Anne-Marie in our summer camp and were so enamored with her physicality and athletic ability. She has the ability to play both sides and is only going to get better through the strength training and conditioning that comes with being a college athlete. Most importantly she's one of the top athletes from the Orlando area. We're very excited to watch her as she starts to contribute to our team and our program."
-Head Coach Todd Dagenais |
