ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF volleyball team kicked off the weekend on a high note Friday evening, marching to a 3-0 (25-21, 27-25, 25-23) win over South Carolina (1-3) at the UCF Challenge.
The Knights (3-1) started the night out strong in the opening set, scoring the first two points of the night to jump out early. The two sides went back-and-forth for much of the first set, with neither side gaining more than a four-point advantage throughout the duration of the it.
"For us to go in there and come out with that first set victory really set the tone," UCF head coach Todd Dagenais said. "Huge win. That is three power six wins… that is a pretty good start to the season for us."
UCF continued to pull off the close victories over the next two sets, taking the final two by just two points, including a nail-biter of a second set in which the Black and Gold came back from down 22-24 to secure the win.
McKenna Melville continued her strong start to the 2019 campaign with a team-high 21 kills, hitting at a .306 clip. MaKenzie Chambers followed with 11 kills of her own in the contest, good for a .308 mark.
Kristina Fisher led the way in digs with 15 on the night, followed by Erin Olson who had 11 of her own to go along with 24 assists.
The victory moved the Knights to a 3-1 record to start the season. They will face off against Albany (1-3) tomorrow at 7:00 pm ET at The Venue.
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TODD'S THOUGHTS:
On the atmosphere at the Venue:
"I am so focused on what is going on in front of me. I was told there were a lot of people here and I was told that it was really loud, but my nose is so deep in my book that I don't even know it. But the place was packed, and it was rowdy. The student section was awesome. Hopefully, we have some traditions that we are going to build off of now."
On talking to the team during a timeout:
"This is a sport where composure is what it is about. It's about being assertive, so we talked about keeping the intensity and being assertive. That is what is going to get us there. We were going to win this match in blocks of two or three points, not in 10 points or one swing or anything like that. So, it was about keeping everyone calm and focused."
On Melville and the overall performance of the team:
"I thought [Melville] was part of a group that really did a great job. I thought she had been playing subpar to her standards because she is very much a perfectionist. She is in the L1 spot which means she is going to get a lot of attention, a lot of double blocks. So, it is going to be difficult for her to score points, which is the reason why we had to set right-side so much tonight. She went out there and took some huge swings out of the back row and scored points for us, but I thought our right sides came up massive for us tonight."
NEXT UP
The Knights continue action at the UCF Challenge on Saturday, squaring off against Albany (1-3). The teams are slated for an 7:00 p.m. ET start at The Venue. In the spirit of the new school year, fans who bring school supplies to tomorrow's match get in the gates free.
