Knights Set to Host UNF at Home

ORLANDO – The Knights will look to continue their undefeated start to the season over the weekend as they are set to host UNF at home in two matches. UCF will play the Ospreys on Saturday, Jan. 30, at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 31, at 5:00 p.m.
 
Both matches will be played at The Venue in Orlando, Fla. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
THE KNIGHTS
The UCF volleyball team is off to a hot start after defeating FAU twice (once in an exhibition) last weekend. The Knights are off to a 1-0 start for the sixth straight year and for the 11th time under head coach Todd Dagenais.
 
In UCF's 3-1 season opening win last Tuesday, the Knights accumulated 12 total team blocks and hit for a combined .358 percent when attacking. Nerissa Moravec and Tali Marmen each chimed in with five blocks assists, while Kathryn Wesolich came through with seven on the night to help lead UCF to the victory.
 
MaKenzie Chambers had 10 kills in the contest and did so while hitting at an incredible .615 clip. UCF veterans and American Athletic Conference Preseason All-Conference honorees McKenna Melville and Anne-Marie Watson also kicked in double-digit kill totals with 13 and 11, respectively. 

Melville was also the unanimous AAC Preseason Player of the Year coming into 2020-21. Additionally, the Knights were once again selected to repeat as AAC champions.

UCF received 10 out of 11 first-place votes in the AAC Preseason Coaches' Poll to claim the top spot over Cincinnati. The Bearcats were second in the poll with one first place vote.

THE OSPREYS
UNF is off to a 0-2 start after dropping its first two matches (3-2, 3-1) of the season against South Florida last weekend.

The last time the Knights faced UNF was all the way back in 2013. The Black and Gold swept the Ospreys, 3-0, with contributions from DeLaina Sarden (18 kills, .818 hitting percentage, four block assists) and Jade Hayes (14 digs, four assists, one service ace).

UCF is 5-1 all-time against UNF and 4-0 under coach Dagenais.

TICKETING/COVID-19 PROTOCOLS
All home UCF Volleyball matches this spring will be free to fans on a first-come, first-served basis. Capacity for The Venue this season is roughly twenty-five percent of full capacity. There will be no physical ticketing, but the number of fans entering The Venue will be counted and admission will be cut off once capacity is reached. Ticketing protocols, as well as capacity limitations for fans are subject to change throughout the season.

Fans will be required to wear face coverings at all times, except while actively eating or drinking. Other safety measures in place for the 2021 season include:

• Hand sanitizer stations will be located throughout the concourse
• Floor graphics are located throughout the Arena where lines may form to encourage social distancing
• Bathrooms and other common touch points will be cleaned and sanitized regularly
• COVID-19 signage encouraging best practices will be located throughout the Arena
• Every other row will be blocked off to encourage social distancing

For the latest information on ticketing information for 2021 UCF Volleyball home events, contact the ticket office at (407) 823-1000, or follow us on social at UCF Volleyball on Facebook (/UCFVolleyball), Twitter (@UCF_Volleyball) and Instagram (@UCF.Volleyball).

DAGENAIS DIALOGUE
[On UNF]
"UNF is really good in a lot of spots. They have a trio of outside hitters that can hurt you. Their middles can be very deceptive on how they score. I think they have right sides that can carry rotations for them and I think this game is going to come down to serving and passing for both of us. Who can run their system the most and who can score when they are running their system. We also have to be lower in errors when it comes to both our mental and physical game. They are going to be a challenge, but we have to be disciplined."

[On starting the year 1-0]
"Being 1-0 or 2-0 does not mean you will go 3-0. The past has no bearing on the future. It is what you do in the moment that can shape the future. That's why every coach treats it as if they are 0-0. You have to put it together today in order to win the next one. Starting the year 1-0 for the sixth straight year is a cool fact, but it has no effect on how I go about planning for the next match."
 
[On where the team stands]
"I think the team is doing a good job of starting to understand scouting reports, game planning, watching film of opponents, but we are still at the point in the season where we need to be watching and improving on ourselves more than anything. Right now, we are still trying to figure out how to be the best UCF we can be, and it's going to be that way probably for the next four or five weeks."

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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