ORLANDO – As The Knights prepare for a season like no other in 2021, head coach Todd Dagenais has some options at a key position that he can turn to with five middle blockers on the roster ready to contribute this season.
UCF will look to fill the hole left by Laché Harper at the position. In 2019, Harper accounted for 112 total blocks and 98 kills. She was one of three UCF middle blockers to finish in the top 30 in the NCAA in blocks per set (1.32).
If you would like to view the roster previews for setters and liberos/defensive specialists on the team, you can do so here:
- Roster Preview: Setters
- Roster Preview: Liberos/Defensive Specialists
Below is a preview of the middle blockers that will be suiting up for the Knights this season:
#7 // Nerissa Moravec // R-Senior
Moravec is the player with the most experience at the position heading into the season as she has been with the Knights since 2016. After sitting out her freshman year and seeing limited playing time in 2017, Moravec has been an integral part of the Knights' game since her junior year. In 2018, Moravec appeared in and started all 31 matches, finishing second on the team in blocks with 136 total rejections, tied for ninth in a single season in UCF history. She also finished with 124 block assists, tied for third in UCF history, all while hitting at a team-high .387 clip. Moravec's senior year was equally impressive as she finished second on the team in total blocks with 151. Her 1.31 blocks per set earned her 27th place in the nation and fourth in The American in that regard. All this while once again hitting at a steady .328 mark, good for second best on the team.
#21 // Kathryn Wesolich // Junior
Wesolich has been a key player for the black and gold since she came onto the scene as a freshman in 2018. During that freshman campaign, Wesolich started and played in all 31 matches, recording the seventh most total blocks in a single season in program history with 138. She also notched the second most block assists in a year and set the freshman record with 135 stuffs. Wesolich's high of the season came in a 3-2 win over Cincinnati on Oct. 21, where she tied the school record with 12 block assists. Last season, Wesolich appeared in 23 of the Knights' 33 matches, starting in 11. She blocked a total of 56 balls, an average of .81 blocks per set. On the offensive side of the ball, Wesolich chimed in with 42 kills, recording .61 kills per set.
#23 // Megan Lively // Sophomore
Lively is the biggest middle blocker in the group, standing in at an imposing 6 feet 5 inches tall. Although the sophomore did not see action in her first year at UCF, she was a two-year letter-winner at Ankeny Centennial High School in Ankeny, Iowa, where she guided her Jaguars to the 2018 Class A Iowa State Championship, posting a trio of solo blocks in the final match. In total, she was a part of three state championship titles in four years at Ankeny Centennial. In total, she powered home 101 kills and 95 blocks in her senior year.
#31 // Brittiney Jones// Freshman
Standing in at six feet three inches tall, Jones is the sole freshman representing the middle blocker group in 2020-21. A native of Eustis, Fla., Jones was a four-year letter winner at Eustis High School, where she led the Lady Panthers to the semi-finals in 2018. In her sophomore year, Jones received defensive player of the year honors and was named team MVP in both her junior and senior seasons.
#47 // Amari Williams // Senior
The newest face to the Knights in 2020-21, Williams made the switch to UCF from Florida State back in December. In three seasons with the Seminoles, Williams totaled 153 block assists, 12 solo blocks and 141 kills. In 2019, Williams finished third on the team with 1.03 blocks per set, including three blocks in a straight-set victory over No. 3 Minnesota on August 31 and a career-high eight blocks versus Stony Brook on September 13.
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