ORLANDO, Fla. – The UCF volleyball team (12-6, 5-1) topped Tulane (11-7, 4-2) in four sets on Sunday from The Venue with scores of 25-13, 25-22, 16-25, 25-18. The Knights bounced back from Friday to go 1-1 on the weekend.
"I saw a team that was hunger, angry, and combative," head coach Todd Dagenais said, "I saw a team that wanted to pick a fight and was much more composed. I was very happy with how we responded to a loss."
McKenna Melville picked up her fourth-straight double-double after adding 14 kills and 10 digs. Anne-Maire notched 11 kills, hitting .381 while Tali Marmen made noise with 10 kills.
Nerissa Moravec was strong on both sides as she recorded 6 kills, hitting .462 and put up six blocks. Amber Olson led the team with 42 assists while Chloe Scheer added 20 digs.
The Knights started hot and never dwindled as they used a pair of 5-0 runs and five blocks to take the first set with a score of 25-13.
It was an early back-and-forth battle as the two teams were tied 8-8, but the Knights went on the run to lead 13-8. Shortly after, UCF went on another 5-0 run, including two aces from Katelyn Grimes to lead 21-13. The Green Wave fought back within two points, 24-22, but Tali Marmen hammered one down for the kill to take the second set, 25-22.
Tulane got out to a strong start before UCF used a 3-0 run to tie it back up 7-7. The Green Wave then found their rhythm to lead by as much as seven, 21-14. The Knights tried to climb back but were unable to as Tulane took the third in 25-16 to force the fourth.
The Knights shifted momentum back to start the fourth on a 5-0 run with two aces from Claudia Dillon, 5-0. Another big run with a pair of blocks, pushed the Knights to a six-point lead, 17-11, and they never looked back. UCF secured the win, taking the fourth in 25-18.
TODD'S THOUGHTS
[On difference maker from Friday]
There are two things, I thought we served much better with nine aces. That doesn't even tell you how many times they were out of system and couldn't run their three hitters against us. We drove them off the ball and kept them limited on what they could do.
[On the back row]
I've been trying to find a really good role for Dresi and I think we found one that she excels at. We need the defense in the back row in certain rotations and we need the serve/receive on certain rotations. Having Chloe, Katelyn, and Dresi anchoring the defense is huge. It makes it hard for the opponents to score. I am proud of how resilient they were.
Anne-Marie
[On responding to Friday]
I think we knew we had to refocus back on our side and worry about our side only. But coming into it, I think we felt confident and were ready to bounce back.
UP NEXT
UCF will return to action shortly, with a mid-week War on I-4 on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. at South Florida in Tampa.
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