GREENVILLE, N.C. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF volleyball team dropped its road match at ECU on Sunday afternoon 3-1 (25-20, 25-20, 16-25, 25-22). The Knights (13-13, 6-8) hit. 214 to the Pirates' (18-9, 9-5) .232.
Kia Bright, Alli Sabol and Kristina Fisher combined for 38 of the Knights' 51 kills on the afternoon. Bright finished with a team-high 15 kills on .295 hitting with just two errors. The redshirt senior added 10 digs for her 17th double-double of the year. Sabol was equally impressive on the attack with a .267 clip and 12 kills. Fisher chipped in with 11 scores. Taylor Wickey registered five blocks, as the Knights tallied 7.5 rejections.
The match was tightly contested in the first two sets. Neither side could create a substantial gap in the early stages. ECU took the first game on a 7-2 run to open up a 19-13 advantage. In the second with the score tied at 15-15, UCF fell on the wrong side of a 6-2 run that sent the visitors into the break down by two. The Black and Gold notched a .243 clip at the net in the second.
The Knights rebounded out of the break hitting .300 with 12 kills. Sabol, Jeanne Westney and Anne-Marie Watson notched three kills apiece to keep the Black and Gold in the match. ECU closed out the contest by maintaining an early lead through the final point in the fourth.
BOUNCING BACK IN THE THIRD
• With the clubs trading points to start the third, the Knights consistently kept a one or two-point lead.
• The turning point came with the score tied at 15-15. UCF scored four straight points with kills from Wickey and Westney, along with a Jordan Pingel ace and an ECU error.
• Sensing a chance to climb back into the match, the Black and Gold finished the set on a 6-0 run.
• UCF rejected a trio of ECU attacks in the third.
ADDING TO THE DOUBLE-DOUBLES
• Bright is averaging 15.5 kills and nearly 15 digs per double-double this season.
• Erin Olson finished with 21 assists to go along with 12 digs.
• The Cary, Ill., native now has 12 double-doubles this year.
DAGENAIS DIALOGUE
Head Coach Todd Dagenais after the match.
Opening statement..
"I think we ran into a team that is having one of their more successful seasons in recent history. They're very confident with two wins this week before playing us. You could see that confidence on the floor. You could tell that was a team that definitely wanted to win. It really showed in their play.
"Everything we want for this season is still within reach. We just have to get to work on the things that we can affect this year. It's up to our seniors to continue to leave that legacy behind. One thing I know for sure is that this team is far from being done."
On the offense running through Bright, Sabol and Fisher…
"I think we'll be able to learn a lot about ourselves offensively here when we watch the film. We weren't firing on all cylinders. We were putting a lot of pressure on a few people to score for us. Those are all things that we can correct when we get back in the gym on Tuesday. Moving forward, all of our goals are still intact. We put a lot of pressure on Kia, Kristina and Alli to carry us against a team as hot as ECU. They really brought it. I thought we couldn't match their performance with numbers from just three players."
On Wickey's recent blocking success…
"I think everything is starting to click for her. That's going to be something that will really help us in November. She would even say that she missed some out there today. That's stuff we'll get fixed in practice this week."
UP NEXT
The Knights return home next weekend to face Tulane on Friday and Houston on Sunday.
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