ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – UCF Volleyball (12-6, 5-1) continued their strong play both in conference and at home Sunday afternoon as they swept the Memphis Tigers (11-7, 0-6) in three sets (25-14, 25-19, 25-15) at The Venue in Orlando, Florida.
The Knights faced little adversity all match as they had the lead for all but 12 points of the entire match. They won two of the three sets by double digits.
Alli Sabol continued her strong play as of late, turning in 10 kills and hitting .588 on the afternoon. On the other side, McKenna Melville turned in a double-double performance, tallying 12 kills, 10 digs and hitting .455. The balanced offense allowed the Knights to hit a collective .420 on the afternoon. Erin Olson also had 17 assists and 11 digs.
The Knights hit the road next weekend as they take on Wichita State Friday at 8:00 pm and Tulsa Sunday at 2:00 pm, each for the first time this season.
Continue to follow UCF Volleyball on Facebook (/UCF.Volleyball), Twitter (@UCF_Volleyball) and Instagram (@UCF.Volleyball) for the latest on the UCF volleyball team.
PUT ANOTHER WIN IN THE BOOKS! WE SWEEP THE WEEKEND! ????#ChargeOn pic.twitter.com/EiL7JuND6G
— UCF Volleyball (@UCF_Volleyball) October 13, 2019
FIRST SET
Alli Sabol and Lache Harper kicked off the match with a block at the net to put UCF in the lead. Another rejection from Anne-Marie Watson and Nerissa Moravec put the Knights up 8-3 to force a Memphis timeout. The Knights came out of the timeout scoring three straight to put them up 11-3. UCF extended their lead to 17-9 before Memphis would call their second timeout of the set, but it would not slow the Knights as yet another block from Watson and Harper ended the set to give the Knights the 25-14 set victory.
SECOND SET
Memphis began to fight back early in the second set as they outscored the Knights 7-3 over the first ten points, but UCF quickly regrouped and mounted a seven-point scoring run to take the 12-8 lead. With the Knights holding the momentum, the Tigers called both of their timeouts before the fifteenth point. UCF continued to power through the rest of the set, going on to win, 25-19
THIRD SET
Once again, UCF began the set with the lead as Melville recorded the kill to put the Knights up 1-0. UCF continued their dominance, going up 13-6 before Memphis called their first timeout of the set. As the Knights outscored the Tigers 3-1 coming out of the timeout, extending their lead to 16-7, Memphis called their second and final timeout. The Knights kept the pressure on as they went on to win the set, 25-15, completing the sweep over the Tigers.
DAGENAIS DIALOGUE
[On the depth on the roster]
"There is no way we can survive on our left sides alone. They are great athletes. They are All-American caliber, but at some point, teams would just camp out and double block them. For us to be the team we want to be, we have to spread the ball around… the fact that we are able to get the right sides and the middles involved, that takes so much pressure off our left sides to be able to just go out and perform."
[On approaching each match individually]
"Right now, we are 1-0 and we will be 1-0 until midnight, and at midnight we are 0-0 again. So, whatever our record is, I don't even know. At this point, we don't care because, unless we go out and prepare for our next match, we are just looking in the past… every match is a new challenge and we just have to face the team that is in front of us."
[On the increased playing time for Alli Sabol]
"Alli was a starter her freshman and sophomore years. After that, we continued to have talented athletes come in and the competition got tougher and tougher. Early on this year, she got some play time and then she got beat out for a little bit, but what I give credit to is… she never stopped. She never quit. She would go on the other side and bring it every single day… she has done a fantastic job blocking and attacking, so she earned the start again today, and she ran with that. I thought she probably had the best match of her career today so I am really proud of her."
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UP NEXT
The Knights hit the road next weekend as they take on Wichita State Friday at 8:00 pm and Tulsa Sunday at 2:00 pm, each for the first time this season.