ORLANDO, Fla (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF volleyball team is set for its lone tune-up prior to the 2018 season on Saturday afternoon. The Knights will take on the University of Tampa at 2 p.m. in The Venue. Admission is free of charge.
The Knights had a tightly contested series with the Spartans over 19 regular season meetings. The Black and Gold holds a 10-9 advantage over Tampa, with the last regular season contest coming back in 1991.
Entering the match on Saturday, the 2018 squad already has seven matches under its belt. In June, the Knights traveled to Puerto Rico to play four matches against local universities, as well as a trio of contests against the Puerto Rico national team. During the trip, UCF went 6-1 with three sweeps.
Head coach Todd Dagenais will enter his 11th season with a youth-laden roster featuring one senior, two juniors, six sophomores and six freshmen. Jordan Pingel, Erin Olson and Alli Sabol are the lone upperclassmen on the team. The underclassmen boast a mixture of talent and experience.
UCF went 20-14 in last year and reached the first postseason for the first time since 2014. The Knights received an at-large bid to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship and reached the second round after a first-round sweep of UNC Greensboro.
Tampa enters the 2018 season on the heels of an 18-14 campaign that ended in the NCAA Division II South Regional. The Spartans received votes in the preseason AVCA Division II Coaches Poll last week.
The 2018 season gets underway for the Black and Gold next Friday at the Sunshine State Classic, hosted by Miami. UCF will take on FGCU on Friday, before squaring off with FAU and Miami on Saturday.
FOLLOW THE KNIGHTS
Follow UCF Volleyball on social media on Facebook (/UCF.Volleyball), Twitter (UCF_Volleyball) and Instagram (UCF.Volleyball).
GET THE APP
Never miss any UCF Knights news from your favorite team by downloading the free UCF Knights app right to your iOS or Android phone! The app provides personalized information for men's and women's teams, scores, schedules, loyalty programs and even breaking news.