ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – For the first time in at least eight years, the UCF volleyball program tallied a program-high grade point average.
"In 18 years of coaching college I've never had a team be as successful on the court and in the classroom as our 2016–17 team has been," said head coach Todd Dagenais. "We made such a huge deal when we achieved a 3.5 as a team because I never had one of my teams earn that achievement. This year the 23 wins combined with a 3.74 GPA far exceeded any expectations that we could ever have. I'm so proud of this team for being the epitome of what a student athlete should be." As a squad, Dagenais' team put together a 3.74 GPA this spring. But it wasn't just one semester of success. The team boasts a 3.61 cumulative GPA. The Black and Gold saw 12 student-athletes compile GPAs of 3.7 or better in the fall, including Taylor Gallart, Brooke Imirie, Nerissa Moravec, Jalé Hervey, Erin Olson, Jordan Pingel, Farah Rajaee, Ann Richards, Alli Sabol, Halle Scott, Taylor Wickey and Abby Zimroth.. Eight Knights tallied a GPA of 3.9 or better, including Imire, Olson, Pingel, Rajaee, Richards, Sabol, Scott and Zimroth.
"I can't extend enough thank yous to Carly Landini, our academic advisor, and all the mentors and tutors who helped make this happen," Dagenais said. "I hope they are as proud of this unbelievable achievement as we are as a coaching staff. Dr. Eric Wood and the entire staff of our student academic services division have made an extremely tangible difference in the lives of every student-athlete at UCF. There are so few universities that embody the ideals of a student athlete the way UCF does."
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 August.