ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF volleyball team opens the second half of its 2017 season this weekend on the road. The Knights (9-7, 2-2) will travel to Tulsa on Friday at 8 p.m. (ET) and SMU on Sunday at 2 p.m. (ET).
UCF sits tied for fifth in the American Athletic Conference after two weekends of action.
LAST TIME OUT
• The Knights split last weekend's road trip to Memphis and then No. 25 Wichita State.
• UCF battled back from a 2-1 deficit against Memphis to win in five sets. Kristina Fisher went for 20 kills, Kia Bright recorded a career-high 27 digs and setter Erin Olson tabbed a career-high 55 assists.
• The Black and Gold became just the fourth team to win an opening set against the Shockers. The hot start cooled as the Knights fell 3-1.
CLIMBING THE RECORD BOOKS
• Jordan Pingel ranks second in program history with 1,385 career digs. Her 4.66 digs per set is the best ever by a UCF libero.
• After recording her 1,000th career kill earlier this season, Bright edged into the program's top-10 for kills this past weekend.
• Jeanne Westney has already become a staple at the net. The sophomore ranks 14th in UCF history with 30 block solos.
• Head coach Todd Dagenais continues to close in on the program record for wins at UCF. Currently at 174, he needs 14 to tie Laura Smith (1991-97) as the winningest coach in program history.
THE FIRST HALF
• In the opening eight games of the season, defense played a major role. The Knights held opponents to an average .197 hitting percentage. Only six teams have hit above .200 against the Black and Gold this year.
• UCF outblocked opponents in 11 matches this season with a 7-4 record.
• Redshirt senior Taylor Wickey leads the conference with a clip of .400 at the next, which ranks 27th in the country.
• With 3.61 kills per set, Bright ranks sixth in the league.
YOUNG EXPERIENCE
• The freshman class has had a large impact in the opening half of the season.
• Kristina Fisher sits second on the team in kills per set with 2.65.
• Anne-Marie Watson has played in every set this season, totaling a team-high 49 block assists.
• Mary Kate Painter and Alex Fisher earn their first career starts last weekend on the road.
SCOUTING TULSA
• The Golden Hurricane (7-9, 1-3) are tied for eighth with four other teams in the AAC, with the lone victory coming against Houston.
• Emily Thorson leads the attack with 3.90 kills per set, which ranks second in the conference. Only two other players are averaging above 2.0 kills per set.
• The UCF block could be busy on Friday, as the Golden Hurricane average 2.2 blocks against per set.
SCOUTING SMU
• The Mustangs (10-5, 4-0) sit atop the AAC with No. 24 Wichita State as the two undefeated teams in conference action.
• Lauren Mills and Brittany Adams lead one of the best attacks in the league with 3.70 and 3.14 kills per set, respectively.
• SMU tops the conference and ranks 19th in the country in digs at 17.4 per set. Montana Watts is sixth in the AAC with 4.57 digs per set.
SERIES HISTORIES
• The Knights trail the Golden Hurricane 11-6 in the series, but UCF has taken four of the last six contests.
• SMU holds a 13-5 advantage over the Black and Gold.
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