ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – Head coach Todd Dagenais unveiled the 2017 UCF Volleyball Ring of Honor Class today. The Knights will honor the two winningest coaches in program history in Lucy McDaniel and Laura Smith.
The ceremony will take place on Nov. 12 during the Knights' match against Houston.
"Both of these women were pioneers in the sport of volleyball," Dagenais said. "They helped put UCF Volleyball on a national stage with their success as players and coaches. We're proud to honor them as we continue to build our Ring of Honor and continue to recognize the rich tradition that UCF Volleyball has."
The first coach in the history of UCF Volleyball, McDaniel guided then Florida Technological for five seasons, starting in 1975. McDaniel amassed a program record 236 wins to go along with an untouchable .863 winning percentage. Success came quickly for McDaniel, who guided FTU to 54 victories in just her third campaign.
McDaniel's crowning achievement was winning the AIAW National Championship in 1978 with a perfect 55-0 record. After taking the Knights to three straight national championship games, McDaniel stepped away from coaching to serve as the CEO of McDaniel Enterprises Inc., where she was an advocate for women's sports.
McDaniel was named to the UCF Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006.
Smith was a three-year starter for the Knights from 1977-79. As a member of the national championship team, she was named an AIAW All-American and First Team AIAW National Tournament Team in her first year with the Knights.
Smith returned to her alma mater in 1991 as the fifth coach in program history. In six seasons under Smith, the Knights won five Atlantic Sun Championships. As a coach, she mentored four ASUN Players of the Year, 19 All-ASUN selections, 16 All-ASUN Tournament Team honorees and five ASUN Tournament MVPs.
Smith finished her coaching career in the college ranks with a 188-73 (.720) record. She was inducted into the UCF Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999.
The 2017 UCF Volleyball team will travel to Houston and Tulane this weekend in American Athletic Conference action.
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