UCF vs. ECU | UCF vs. Cincinnati |
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF volleyball team (18-6, 11-1) will return home to The Venue this weekend as they face off against ECU (13-10, 7-1) Friday night at 7:00 p.m. and Cincinnati (15-6, 5-3) Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. The Knights have played both teams already this season, having won their first match against ECU, 3-0, and dropping their first match with Cincinnati, 0-3.
Both matches this weekend will be streamed live. You can watch here.
THE KNIGHTS
UCF is in the midst of a nine-game winning streak and they have won 12 of their last 13 matches. In that time, they have outscored opponents 36-7. They are 18-6 on the season and 11-1 in conference action.
McKenna Melville shined for the Knights last weekend, helping to lead them to a weekend sweep over their competition. In the two matches, Melville averaged five kills per set, had four service aces and 19 digs. She was named to The American Athletic Conference Honor Roll for her performance.
In the latest RPI, UCF is ranked 28 overall. The Black and Gold already have two wins over top-40 teams as well as three wins over top-50 teams. Last season, UCF was ranked as high as ninth in the RPI.
The Knights head into their Friday night match coming off an undefeated weekend that saw them sweep USF and SMU. They maintain their lead in The American in blocks per set (2.95), a statistic they have led the league in for most of the year. They are also top-three in hitting percentage (.273), opponent hitting percentage (.192), assists per set (13.17) and kills per set (14.00).
"I think fans are going to really appreciate this weekend. This is a big weekend for our program," said UCF Volleyball Head Coach Todd Dagenais. "Right out of the gate, we have a pretty big challenge on Friday night against the Pirates, and then Sunday, It is going to be a battle between two top-25 teams and it is going to close out a very big and very important home weekend for us as a program. "
McKenna Melville remains at number two in the conference with 4.38 kills per set, trailing only Cincinnati's Jordan Thompson (6.39). Lache Harper has worked her way up to number two in the conference in blocks per set as she owns a 1.40 mark.
Continue to follow UCF Volleyball on Facebook (/UCF.Volleyball), Twitter (@UCF_Volleyball) and Instagram (@UCF.Volleyball) for the latest on the UCF volleyball team.
THANK YOU SENIORS!
This weekend marks the last two regular season home matches for UCF's five seniors: Kristina Fisher, Lache Harper, Makenzie Kuchmaner, Alli Sabol and Erin Olson.
"This is a group that bridged the 2014 championship team to today, and in the process, they won a championship in 2018. They maintained our standards. They maintained our connection as a team, our culture and our classroom status," said Dagenais. "It's very easy to achieve something and then let it take a nosedive. This group did not let that happen. If anything, they actually raised the bar. As a group of seniors, they have made doing well on the court and exceptional in the classroom a pillar of who we are."
The Seniors will be recognized on the court during Sunday's match against Cincinnati.
THE FIELD
ECU
The Knights will kick off their weekend homestand by taking on ECU Friday night at 7:00 p.m. ECU is 18-8 at this point in the season and 5-7 in conference play. The Pirates hold a 7-4 record in away matches this year, and in the Knights' last match against the Pirates, UCF swept ECU, 3-0. UCF is 18-10 all-time against the Pirates.
Cincinnati
The Knights will wrap up their homestand with a Sunday afternoon match against divisional rival Cincinnati, who is 20-5 on the season and 11-1 in conference play. The Bearcats are led offensively by Redshirt Senior Jordan Thompson, who is boasting 6.39 kills per set. Thompson is the all-time leader in kills at Cincinnati and was just named the Sports Imports/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division I National Player of the Week this past week after she netted 50 kills in Cincinnati's win over UConn. UCF is 10-5 all-time against Cincinnati, with their last loss coming earlier this season.
DAGENAIS DIALOUGE
[On facing ECU]
"I thought they were trying to do some things that they weren't executing the first time around, but I think they have since found what works for them and they keep going back to that. They are starting to execute at a much higher level, and defensively, I feel like they have gotten better as well. I think they are a better all-around team in terms of execution, which makes them a very dangerous team. They are a lot better team than what we faced just a few weeks ago."
[On facing Cincinnati]
"It's one of those situations where you have the players that can go out and get the job done, but on top of that, you have arguably the most special player that is easily the best player that has ever played in our conference [in Jordan Thompson]. Her numbers go back historically for twenty plus years. It's easy to think she is the whole team, but that is not the case. They have other players that can go out there and do damage. We look forward to a much more competive match this time around. It is going to be a battle between two top-25 teams and it is going to close out a very big and very important home weekend for us as a program."
[On the seniors]
"This is a group that bridged the 2014 championship team to today, and in the process, they won a championship in 2018. They maintained our standards. They maintained our connection as a team, our culture and our classroom status," said Dagenais. "It's very easy to achieve something and then let it take a nosedive. This group did not let that happen. If anything, they actually raised the bar. As a group of seniors, they have made doing well on the court and exceptional in the classroom a pillar of who we are."
FOLLOW THE KNIGHTS
Continue to follow UCF Volleyball on Facebook (/UCF.Volleyball), Twitter (@UCF_Volleyball) and Instagram (@UCF.Volleyball) for the latest on the UCF volleyball team.
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