| UCF vs. Wichita State Friday, Oct. 1 | 8:00 PM ET LIVE STATS | WATCH | UCF vs. Tulsa Sunday, Oct. 3 | 2:00 PM ET LIVE STATS |
ORLANDO, Fla. – The UCF volleyball team (9-5, 2-0) continues conference play this weekend on the road, taking on Wichita State (6-5, 0-2) Friday night at 8:00pm ET at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas and Tulsa (6-5, 1-1) on Sunday at 2:00pm ET at Reynolds Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Both matches will have live stats and Friday's match against Wichita State will be streamed on ESPN+.
"We've been on the road for non-conference twice, but what will feel different is playing two matches in three days instead of three matches in 27 hours" head coach Todd Dagenais said, "We are going to have some time to rest and more time to prepare for the second match.
Last weekend, the Knights opened conference with a pair of sweeps over East Carolina and Cincinnati. UCF went 7-5 in the non-conference schedule and is now on a five-game winning streak after opening conference play 2-0 and an undefeated weekend at the Sunshine Challenge, defeating Miami, Florida Gulf Coast, and Florida Atlantic.
Since 2018, UCF has a 42-2 record in The American and has won three-straight conference titles. The Knights went undefeated in conference last season, 8-0, and in the 2018 season, going 18-0.
As a team, UCF is fourth in the country and leads the league with 147.5 total blocks. The Black and Gold also leads the conference with 2.84 blocks per set and .252 hitting percentage.
McKenna Melville leads the nation for the second week in a row with 290.5 points and is second with 251 kills on the season. Melville also leads the conference with 5.59 points per set and 4.83 kills per set. Nerissa Moravec leads the league with 1.48 blocks per set, which is also ninth in the nation.
Claudia Dillon was also recently named offensive player of the week after she recorded 16 kills while hitting .577 with only one error and grabbing 28.5 points (4.75 per set) last weekend.
THE FIELD
THE SHOCKERS
Wichita State (6-5, 0-2) is on a four-game losing streak with losses to Wyoming, Creighton, Tulane and Houston. With a short history, the all-time series is tied between the two teams, 2-2. UCF has won the last two matchups, 3-1. The last time UCF lost to Wichita State was in 2017 at The Venue in five sets.
THE GOLDEN HURRICANE
Tulsa (6-5, 1-1) is coming back home after two weekends on the road. The Golden Hurricane is 1-2 when at home this season. The Golden Hurricane leads the all-time series, 8-12, but the Knights have won the last three matchups and swept Tulsa in the last meeting during the 2019 season. The last time Tulsa won was in a five-set match in 2017.
DAGENAIS' DIALOGUE
[On playing Wichita State]
They always have a very competitive team. They carry 20-plus members on their team so they can mix and match personnel as they need to try to get the best matchups they want. They can attack from many different places and their ball control is quite solid. So, if they can get into a first ball kills game with you, you're in for a big fight.
[On playing Tulsa]
Their gym is a hard place to play. It's huge and the energy in there is a little odd. Sometimes it gets pretty quiet in there, but their team plays well in their gym and feed off of their fans. They are another team that has superior ball control, probably some of the best in the conference. They are going to be passing well and our block is going to have to be extremely disciplined in reading their cues and watching their hitters.
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.
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.