TAMPA, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – UCF Volleyball (11-6, 4-1) topped South Florida (7-12, 1-4) to take the lead in the War on I4 Friday night, defeating the Bulls by a score of 3-1 (24-26, 25-12, 25-20, 25-12) at The Corral in Tampa, Florida.
The Knights were slow out of the gates in the match, narrowly dropping the first set, 26-24, but they found their stride as they went on to win the next three consecutive sets by at least 13 points.
"I thought USF brought the energy right away. We figured they were going to do that." UCF head coach Todd Dagenais said. "For them to hit like that against us [in the first set], really woke us up and made us forget about the crowd and got us back into reality. Coming back… I really felt like we established ourselves offensively and really clamped down defensively."
McKenna Melville and Kristina Fisher both turned in double-double performances in the contest as Melville recorded 18 kills and 11 digs while Fisher had 14 kills and 15 digs. Erin Olson and Dresden Pass both recorded 24 assists to boost the offense to the big win.
The Knights return home to The Venue Sunday as they face Memphis at noon. Fans should wear pink for breast cancer awareness. Breast cancer survivors and those fighting the fight get in free.
Continue to follow UCF Volleyball on Facebook (/UCF.Volleyball), Twitter (@UCF_Volleyball) and Instagram (@UCF.Volleyball) for the latest on the UCF volleyball team.
FIRST SET
The first set was even throughout, with both teams trading blows and the lead changing hands several times. The Knights put themselves in good position to finish the set out near the end as McKenna Melville had a big kill to put UCF up 21-19 and force a USF timeout late, but the Bulls came out of the timeout scoring two straight to tie it up at 21 all. USF went up 24-23 and UCF called a timeout. With the Bulls playing to end the set, Lache Harper had the clutch kill to tie it at 24 all, but USF went on to win the first set in narrow fashion, 26-24.
SECOND SET
The second set was all Knights asUCF started the set by going up 7-2, forcing an early USF timeout. The Black and Gold continued the strong start to the set as they pulled out to a 15-6 lead, forcing USF to call their second and final timeout of the set. UCF continued their run after the timeout, and at the end of an eight-point scoring run, they led 19-6. The Knights rolled to a strong finish to win the set, 25-12.
THIRD SET
The third set was another close one, with the Knights leading for the majority of it, but by a narrow margin. UCF continued to hang on to the lead as USF called a timeout with the Knights up 21-19. The timeout didn't affect the Knights as they came out of it just as strong, going up 23-20 before the Bulls called another. Once again, the Knights remained in the driver's seat as they went on win the set, 25-20.
FOURTH SET
Already up two sets to one, UCF started out the third set up 3-0 before the Bulls recorded their first point. UCF continued to pull away as they went up 10-5, forcing a USF timeout. The timeout didn't affect the Knights as they extended their lead to 14-5 following USF error, and the Bulls called their second and final timeout of the set. The UCF defense finished strong as they only allowed USF to score seven more points from there, and the Knights went on to win the set, 25-12.
DAGENAIS DIALOGUE
[On improving after the first set]
"We talked about slowing the game down and just being present. I thought, once we got back into the moment, that is when we started to execute and things started to take off for us."
[On the offense]
"The middles are going, and I think when we get the middles going, Fisher and Melville are going to be able to take off. We thought we caught a couple things that we thought we could exploit. A lot of credit to them and both setters for getting them a ball that is hittable, but a ton of credit has to go to the middles and right sides. I really need to give props to Alli Sabol. I told her 'there is going to be a time where we need you and we are going to need that left arm to come up big', and I thought it came up huge tonight… I'm really proud of Alli"
[On preparing for Memphis]
"We have to get back tonight, and I'll start watching film. Brian [Doyon] and Jenny [Maurer] have already watched their film. I'll get back tonight, get all my work done, and get our sheets ready to go to come up with our game plan because Memphis knows how to win. We have to contend with a team that is confident and wants to make a statement. We are going to have to go back out there and assert ourselves right from the beginning. I hope to see a great crowd and see if we can't get a sweep on the weekend."
FOLLOW THE KNIGHTS
Continue to follow UCF Volleyball on social media on Facebook (/UCF.Volleyball), Twitter (UCF_Volleyball) and Instagram (UCF.Volleyball) for the latest on the UCF volleyball season.
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. Download the app here.
UP NEXT
The Knights return home to The Venue Sunday as they face Memphis at noon. Fans should wear pink for breast cancer awareness. Breast cancer survivors and those fighting the fight get in free.
