ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - In addition to a 23-win season and a great year on the court, the UCF volleyball program has once again put together a great year in the classroom.
"Academics have always been priority No. 1 in our program," head coach Todd Dagenais said. "Of course going for wins and championships is extremely important, but the foundation of our program starts in the classroom. I could not be more proud of our team for accomplishing so many wins on the court and turning around and posting a record GPA in the classroom. We are proud that we can graduate players in three to three and a half years and some with Master's degrees."
The Knights did just that in this past semester. As a squad, Dagenais' team put together a 3.627 grade-point average in the fall. But it wasn't just one semester of success. The team boasts a 3.58 cumulative GPA. The Black and Gold saw 11 student-athletes compile GPAs of 3.7 or better in the fall, including Laché Harper, Jalé Hervey, Brooke Imirie, Nerissa Moravec, Jordan Pingel, Farah Rajaee, Alli Sabol, Halle Scott, Jeanne Westney, Taylor Wickey and Abby Zimroth. Five Knights tallied a GPA of 3.9 or better, including Hervey, Moravec, Pingel, Rajaee and Scott.
"This particular group of student-athletes in our program understands the importance of academics and truly live our philosophy," Dagenais said.
Last season, the Black and Gold accounted for the second-most victories (23) in the Dagenais era. UCF started the season with a 10-3 record in non-conference play, before going 13-7 in the American Athletic Conference, which is the second-best league record since Dagenais has been at UCF. The Knights will begin preparation for the 2017 campaign in January.