ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – During the UCF volleyball team's tour of Puerto Rico, the Knights will play seven competitive matches. The Black and Gold will take on the University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras (June 24, 25), the University of Puerto Rico – Turabo-Caguas (June 27, 28) and the Puerto Rican National Team (June 29, 30 and July 1)
UCFKnights.com will post a short recap of each match complete with quotes from head coach Todd Dagenais.
MATCH 1
UCF - 3, UPR – Rio Piedras - 0
JUNE 24
The Knights opened up their tour with a resounding 3-0 (25-12, 25-16, 25-12) sweep of UPR – Rio Piedras. Five of the six rookies got their first taste of action with UCF.
McKenna Melville struck for nine kills, while Anne-Marie Watson and Nerissa Moravec each added seven scores. Freshman Kathryn Wesolich hit .600 in her first match with the Black and Gold.
Defensively, Moravec finished with a team-high six blocks. Jeanne Westney chipped in a trio of stuffs, and Garcia rejected a trio of balls at the net.
Dagenais Dialogue…
"I thought it was great to see the freshmen play in their first collegiate match. The University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras is a very spirited team and brought a lot of energy to the floor. We know we still have a lot of things to work on, but the things we've been emphasizing the most at practice leading up to this trip were the highlights of our opening match. We definitely blocked well, and we were able to use our middles in the first-ball attack and transition. Tomorrow, we will watch clips of our match to learn and get better. We play them one more time at 3 p.m. Overall, it was a very consistent performance from each player on the floor. It gives us a good footing to take the next step."
MATCH 2
UCF - 3, UPR – Rio Piedras - 0
JUNE 25
The Knights wrapped up their two-match series against the University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras on Monday afternoon. The Black and Gold notched its second straight sweep of the tour, a 25-18, 25-8, 25-10.
Coach Dagenais elected to rest Erin Olson and Alli Sabol, which allowed Amber Olson and Briana Garcia to play all three sets. Rookie McKenna Melville led the way with 12 kills and four blocks. Garcia recorded nine kills and one rejection.
The returners posted some solid performances. Anne-Marie Watson drove down eight kills and a .700 clip at the net. Kristina Fisher posted six kills in her one game on the afternoon. Middles Jeanne Westney and Nerissa Moravec finished the match with three kills and three blocks.
MATCH 3
UCF - 3, University of Turabo-Caguas - 1
JUNE 27
After a day off that featured a boating adventure, the Knights were back at on Wednesday afternoon to open their two-match series against the University of Turabo-Caguas.
The Black and Gold dropped their first set of its Puerto Rico tour, but improved to 3-0 on the week. The Knights won 25-9, 26-24, 25-14, 25-11. Paulina Perez-Rosas was cleared to compete in her first match for UCF.
MATCH 4
UCF - 3, University of Turabo-Caguas - 1
JUNE 28
UCF capped its four-match swing against universities on Thursday night. The Knights edged the University of Turabo-Caguas 3-1.
MATCH 5
UCF - 3, Puerto Rico - 0
JUNE 28
The Knights opened up their three-match series against the Puerto Rico National Team on Friday night with a 3-0 sweep. The Black and Gold downed the hosts 25-23, 25-16, 25-19.
McKenna Melville led the way with 12 kills and a .360 hitting percentage. Anne-Marie Watson and Nerissa Moravec chipped in with five scores each.
MATCH 6
UCF - 0, Puerto Rico - 3
JUNE 30
Facing a stacked squad of Olympians and former NCAA Division I All-Americans, the Knights dropped their first match of the tour, 3-0.
MATCH 7
UCF - 3, Puerto Rico - 1
JULY 1
The Knights bounced back in the tour finale with a 3-1 win over Puerto Rico.