ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – Redshirt senior Kia Bright needed just four digs on Sunday to make history for the second time this season, as the Starke, Fla., native became the 11th player in school history to record 1,000 in a career.
Despite the fanfare of the milestone, the UCF volleyball team dropped its American Athletic Conference opening weekend finale on Sunday to Cincinnati 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-21), snapping a five-match winning streak.
The Knights (8-6, 1-1) had leads in the first and third sets, but could not hold off surges from the Bearcats (4-10, 2-0).
Bright recorded her ninth double-double of the season and fourth in a row with a 12-kill, 11-dig performance. Kristina Fisher hit .259 for the match with nine kills on 27 swings and two errors.
The first set was tightly contested. Neither side managed to take more than a two-point lead through 19-19. UC benefited from a pair of UCF errors to take the opener. The offense for both clubs was impressive. The Knights hit .244 compared to a .280 clip at the net for the Bearcats, including 20 kills.
Cincinnati jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the second, before the Knights could respond. Bright notched four of the Knights' seven kills in the frame, but the Black and Gold could not pull within less than four.
Coming out of the break, the Knights jumped out to an 8-4 lead, before the Bearcats went on an 11-3 run. Fisher and Bright kept the hosts within reach, tying the game at 19-19, but UC scored the next four points to seal the match.
1,000-1,000 CLUB FOR KIA
• With her fourth dig on Sunday, Bright became the fifth player in program history to join the 1,000-dig, 1,000-kill club.
• The redshirt senior is the first player since Erin Campbell in 2009 to join the elite group.
• Bright ranks 11th in digs and kills in the program record book.
DAGENAIS DIALOGUE
Head coach Todd Dagenais after the match.
On the match…
"I thought we held them in check offensively, with the exception of the first set. We forced them to have 20 kills to beat us in the opening set. After that, we held them to .200 and .172. If you tell me that, I'd tell you we're winning that match in four. The difference was that they brought the energy, which translated to the hustle plays and making things happen. For whatever reason, we weren't able to match that magic that they found on their side."
On the surge by Cincinnati in the third…
"The turning point was that Jeanne was serving, and they hit a ball off of her. It was the first time Jeanne Westney has served in her career. She didn't make the play on a cross court shot. It went four straight hitting errors. All of the sudden its 8-6 and they're right back in it. I thought we were on the verge of popping their balloon. Some of those errors crept on us. It had to be a low error game to beat Cincinnati and we didn't do it."
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