UCF vs. Wichita State | UCF vs. Tulsa |
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The Knights (12-6, 5-1) will travel a roundtrip distance of roughly 2,800 miles this weekend as they head to Wichita State (4-14, 1-5) to kick off the weekend with a Friday night match at 8:00 p.m. ET before moving on to Oklahoma to take on Tulsa (11-8, 4-2) Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET.
THE KNIGHTS
UCF is riding a three-game winning streak, including winning six of their last seven. In that time, they have outscored opponents 18-4. All in all, they are 12-6 on the season and 5-1 in conference action.
As of late, the Knights have enjoyed depth on the roster. Last match against Memphis, 10 different players played all three sets and 13 played at least two. Lache Harper, Kathryn Wesolich and Nerissa Moravec have interchangeably held down the middle blocker position on the court while Erin Olson, Amber Olson and Dresden Pass have each held their own when in at setter. Alli Sabol has also enjoyed more time on the court recently, playing a strong right side and tallying a season-high 10 kills to help UCF topple Memphis last weekend.
In the latest RPI, UCF is ranked 29 overall. The Black and Gold already have two wins over top-27 teams as well as four wins over top-50 teams. Last season, UCF was ranked as high as ninth in the RPI.
"These crossover matches are extremely important for us," said UCF Volleyball Head Coach Todd Dagenais. "The win over Memphis started everything off. These matches are going to decide seeding in the tournament. The coaches have decided that your record against opponents in the other division are going to determine what your seed is. With that, it is going to be crucial to go out and win these matches now, but it's going to be tough."
The Knights head into the Friday night match coming off an undefeated weekend that included wins over USF and Memphis. They maintain the lead in The American in blocks per set (2.88), a statistic they have led the league in for most of the year. They are also top-three in hitting percentage (.270), assists per set (12.90) and kills per set (13.69).
McKenna Melville remains at number two in the conference with 4.24 kills per set, trailing only Cincinnati's Jordan Thompson (6.20). Meanwhile, middle blocker Nerissa Moravec sits at second in The American in blocks per set with 1.31.
Continue to follow UCF Volleyball on Facebook (/UCF.Volleyball), Twitter (@UCF_Volleyball) and Instagram (@UCF.Volleyball) for the latest on the UCF volleyball team.
THE FIELD
Wichita State
The Knights kick off their weekend road trip against Wichita State on Friday. The Shockers have posted a 4-14 record on the season with a 1-5 record in conference play after dropping their last three matches. Wichita State leads the all-time record against UCF, 2-1. However, UCF won the last matchup, 3-1, during the 2018 season.
Tulsa
UCF will finish their away trip in Oklahoma against the Golden Hurricane. Tulsa is 11-8 on the season so far and boast a 4-2 conference record after dropping their last match against Houston. The Golden Hurricane is lead offensively by freshman Dilara Gedikoglu, who owns an average of 4.12 kills per set. Tulsa leads the all-time record against UCF 6-12, with the Knights winning the last matchup, 3-1 last season.
DAGENAIS DIALOUGE
[On facing Wichita State]
"I don't believe for a second that their record is what they say they are. I believe they are still trying to discover their identity. I think they have been close in matches, so scrub the record. They are too well coached. They have too many great athletes, and their gym is always a tough place to play. It's going to be a challenging match for us to try to get settled in and try to have success."
[On facing Tulsa]
"I think they are a top-three team in the conference. They are a very tough team to play and defend. When I think of Tulsa, I think of blocking and defense because I think that is what they are fantastic at. They have the best defensive player in the league in Taylor Horsfall. They have a solid block and we are going to have to work very hard to score against them."
[On the team depth]
"I am a big believer that competition is healthy from week to week. I think it's important that all three right sides, all three middles, and all three setters get reps with the ones. It allows us to give different looks, different matchups, different approach angles. So many different things that teams have to prepare for when they are facing us. It allows us to decide which player to go with that gives us the best opportunity to win."
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