ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF volleyball team capped a perfect home opening weekend with a 25-18, 25-16, 25-19 victory over Wofford in the final match of the UCF Challenge. With the victory, the Knights (6-3) defended home court with a scorching offensive performance to win the title.
McKenna Melville garnered tournament MVP honors after closing out the weekend with a blistering .483 clip from 17 kills on 29 attacks. Fellow outside Kristina Fisher joined the rookie in double figures, converting 12 kills from 26 attacks. Anne-Marie Watson also flourished with nine scoring swings.
The offense churned out kills with 53 scoring swings on the match. Six players netted attack percentages over .200, led by Kathryn Wesolich’s .667 mark.
Defensively, the Black and Gold posted seven blocks and limited the Terriers (5-5) to just .181 hitting. Erin Olson and Jordan Pingel tallied 10 digs apiece, while the Knights recorded four solo blocks.
FIRST SET
With a one-point lead at 11-10 in the first, UCF darted into the lead with a 6-2 run. The offense found several outlets as Melville, Fisher, Briana Garcia and Nerissa Moravec found pay dirt four times. UCF finished the set with a match-high .457 clip at the net.
SECOND SET
The Knights took command of the second set in the middle stages, scoring at will to open a 21-10 advantage. Melville and Watson posted five kills apiece, as Erin Olson found her teammates with each to rack up 10 assists.
THIRD SET
The final frame was never in doubt for the Knights. UCF rolled on a seven-point run to take a 14-6 advantage. Melville hit an unfathomable .889, scoring on eight of her nine attacks. The Black and Gold rejected a trio of attacks, all solos, to hold Wofford to a match-low .150 clip at the net.
ALL-TOURNAMENT
Melville continued to shine in her first weekend at home. The freshman took home MVP honors with a 3.7-kills and a 3.8-digs per set mark for the Knights. Fisher also earned a spot on the All-Tournament squad. The Austin, Texas, native finished in double-figures in all three matches to score 3.6 kills per set. Watson was a force at the net with 1.6 blocks per set, going for 14 on the opening day of the tournament.
NEXT UP
The Knights will round out a six-match homestand with the VolleyKnights Invitational next weekend.
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