ORLANDO, Fla. – After closing out last season at the NCAA Tournament only four months ago, the UCF volleyball team is prepped to begin the 2021 season in two days.
UCF, the three-time defending conference champions, comes in as the preseason favorites yet again after receiving 10 first-place votes and 100 points in the preseason coaches' poll.
In the same poll, UCF's McKenna Melville was unanimously tabbed as the conference's Preseason Player of the Year and both Melville and teammate Anne-Marie Watson were named to the Preseason All-Conference team.
"The goal was to set up a preseason schedule that mimics the first, second, and third round of the NCAA Tournament and we have done that," head coach Todd Dagenais said, "Now we look at how well we keep ourselves composed, how well we play, who can we knock off, and put ourselves in adversity to see how we react to it. Our goal, no matter what the score is, is to stay steady state. We don't want to get too high because we are winning or get too low if we are losing. We want to stay steady no matter what the scoreboard says. We are going to be put into a lot of these situations and we are going to grow as a team."
ROSTER PREVIEW
The Knights return the core of their 2020 American Athletic Conference Championship team, including McKenna Melville, the 2020 unanimous AAC Preseason Player of the Year, and Anne-Marie Watson earned first team all-conference and Nerissa Moravec earned second team all-conference accolades last season.
Other key returning players for the Knights in 2021 include Amber Olson, Kathryn Wesolich, Dresden Pass, Chloe Scheer, MaKenzie Chambers, and Tali Marmen.
If you would like to look more into the players making up each position for the Knights this season, you can do so here:2021 UCF Volleyball Roster Preview
DEFENDING THE CROWN
In the past three seasons, UCF has led the conference with a combined 40-2 record in league play.
The Knights went undefeated in conference action last season to take home their third-straight title and trip to the NCAA Tournament.
In 2019, UCF took home the crown following an unforgettable American Athletic Conference Championship Tournament against Cincinnati. The Bearcats topped the Knights twice in regular season play, but the two squared off once again in the conference tournament championship match, where UCF won in a dramatic, five set fashion (21-25, 25-16, 26-24, 24-26, 15-10).
The Knights secured the automatic bid representing the American in the NCAA Tournament, where they defeated Florida State in the first round. The win sent UCF to the second round for the first time since 2003.
UCF went 27-4 overall in 2018, including 18-0 in conference play, to win the conference title and host the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever in The Venue.
2021 SLATE
UCF is prepped to kick of its 14th season under the direction of head coach Todd Dagenais. The 32-match slate features 16 home matches at The Venue, which will be back at full capacity this season.
The Knights will start the season in four tournaments, with two of those at home in The Venue, before beginning the 20-match slate of conference play.
UCF opens the season this weekend at the UCF Challenge at The Venue and will host two AVCA preseason top 25 teams, No. 12 Penn State and No. 24 Georgia Tech, as well as St John's.
The Knights will hit the road for the first time to play both Clemson and South Carolina in a tournament in Columbia, S.C. on Sept 2-3 before returning home for the UCF Invitational to take on Florida State, Georgia, and FGCU on Sept. 10-11. They will wrap up the tournament season at the Sunshine Classic the following weekend of Sept. 16-17 in Boca Raton against Miami, FGCU and FAU.
UCF will begin its American Athletic Conference title defense in its 20 matchups against conference opponents at home on Sept. 24 against ECU and Sept 26 versus Cincinnati. The Black and Gold will play each conference team twice this season in its hunt for the title.
PROMOS
The UCF women's volleyball home slate is jam-packed with promotions for the 2021 season. To view the full list of promotions, click here.
TICKET INFORMATION
Fans excited to be back in The Venue for the upcoming 2021 UCF volleyball season can purchase season tickets and single-game tickets online here.
FOLLOW THE KNIGHTS
Follow UCF Volleyball on social media on Facebook (/UCF.Volleyball), Twitter (UCF_Volleyball) and Instagram (UCF.Volleyball).
GET THE APP
Never miss any UCF Knights news from your favorite team by downloading the free UCF Knights app right to your iOS or Android phone! The app provides personalized information for men's and women's teams, scores, schedules, loyalty programs and even breaking news.
