ORLANDO – It was a clean sweep for the Knights to start the War on I-4 in Orlando on Friday night as UCF bested the Bulls 3-0 to move to 13-1 on the season and remain undefeated in conference play.
With the win, the Knights now sit just one victory out from finishing the season with an undefeated record in conference play, a feat that has not been accomplished since 2018 when UCF went a perfect, 18-0 against AAC competition. The Knights currently have a 7-0 record against American opponents in 2020-21.
Knights' head coach Todd Dagenais also achieved a milestone victory with the win as he earned his 250th career-win with the Knights. Dagenais is currently UCF Volleyball's all-time winningest head coach.
The Knights were dominant in the first set, winning by ten points before holding the bulls to just 18 in the second set and finishing the night off with a 25-20 final set victory.
UCF out blocked the Bulls 11-3 en route to the sweep. Nothing new for the Knights as they currently lead the conference in blocks. At 2.92 blocks per set, UCF is also sixth overall in the country.
Leading the way on that front were Nerissa Moravec and Anne-Marie Watson, who each turned in five stuffs in just the three sets. Heading into the match, Moravec's 1.38 blocks per set ranked 22nd in the nation and first in the conference.
Offensively, UCF was efficient from pole to pole as outside hitter McKenna Melville turned in 12 kills while hitting .364 on her attacks while the right side hitter, Watson, had 11 kills and hit an even .400 on the night. Earlier in the season, the pair were both named preseason All-Conference, while Melville was unanimously tabbed the conference preseason Player of the Year.
The black and gold will do battle with the Bulls once more on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. UCF will honor its seniors before the match as it is the last home match of the season.
Following the weekend, UCF will prepare for the postseason as the Knights will head to Cincinnati, Ohio to play in the second annual American Athletic Conference Championship Tournament. UCF will play the No. 2 seed in the West division in the semifinal game on Friday, April 2 at 2:00 p.m.
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