ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – For the first time in program history, a freshman from the UCF volleyball team was named the American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week. Rookie Kristina Fisher powered the Knights (17-13, 10-8) to a pair of road victories this weekend, including a sweep of third-place Temple.
"Tina continues to grow and mature into that terminating outside hitter that we need to have for success this year and for years to come," head coach Todd Dagenais said. "She has had such a great mentor in Kia Bright in learning how to handle the position at the collegiate level. She had an outstanding weekend for us, and showed that she has the determination to be a six-rotation, multi-tool player for us.
Fisher was electric on offense with 34 kills in eight sets, averaging 4.25 per frame for the weekend. The native of Austin, Texas, added 10 digs and a trio of blocks to her .389 hitting percentage.
On Friday, Fisher hammered 14 kills with one error in the sweep over Temple to notch a .464 clip at the net. The freshman followed that performance up with her fourth 20-kill match of the year on Sunday at UConn. Fisher fueled the offense and committed just five errors for a .341 hitting percentage. She stepped it up in the fifth set with four of the Knights' nine kills.
This season, Fisher ranks second on the team and 13th in The American with 2.80 kills per set. She also has put up five double-doubles in her rookie campaign.
The Knights return to The Venue on Wednesday night to start the War on I-4 week against USF. The Black and Gold will take on the Bulls at 7 p.m. with a post-match ceremony to honor seniors Kia Bright and Taylor Wickey. On Saturday, UCF will close out the regular season in Tampa at 7 p.m.
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