Knights Prepare for SMU, Memphis

ORLANDO, Fla. –The UCF volleyball team (14-6, 7-1) stays on the road this weekend, taking on SMU (9-9, 5-3) Friday night at 8:00pm ET in Dallas, Texas and Memphis (8-12, 1-7) Sunday afternoon at 1:00pm ET in Memphis, Tennessee.
 
Both matches will have live stats and will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
"I'm really proud of where our energy level is. The competitiveness is high and the hunger is still in the right spot," head coach Todd Dagenais said, "I think as long as we continue to keep everything contained and focused, I think we're going to be in a good spot all the way to the end of the season."
 
Last week, the Knights earned a pair of wins over South Florida and Temple in straight sets. UCF is now on a three-game winning streak and is at the top of the conference with a 7-1 American record.
 
With the win in the first of two War On I-4 matchups this season, the Knights added three points to the all-sports trophy to tie up the 2021-22 season stats 6-6. UCF extended to a 17-game winning streak over South Florida as the Knights have not fallen to the Bulls since 2012.

Nerissa Moravec was also named the league's Defensive Player of the Week after posting 10 blocks in just six sets (2.00 per set). She also added 11 kills (2.20 per set) while hitting .500 and 16 points (3.20 per set).
 
UCF is all over the leader board in the conference as the Knights lead with a .252 hitting percentage, 201.5 total blocks (2.65 per set), and with 138 aces (1.82 per set). The Knights are also second in the league in opponent hitting percentage (.175), assists (12.24 per set) and in kills (13.12 per set).
 
THE FIELD
THE MUSTANGS
SMU (9-9, 5-3) is 4-4 at home. The Mustangs are currently on a two-game winning streak after topping both Houston ant Tulane. The Mustangs lead the all-time series 9-13, but the Knights have won the last four matches. The last time UCF lost to SMU was in a three-set match in 2017 in Dallas, Texas.
 
Rachel Woulfe was most recently named the AAC Offensive Player of the Week as she posted 15 kills, hitting .464 and two blocks against Houston before recording 22 kills to hit .413 with four blocks against Tulane.
 
THE TIGERS
Memphis (8-12, 1-7) is on a six-game losing streak. The Tigers have only won one match in conference play against Temple and no match has gone past four sets. With a long history, the Knights lead the all-time series, 23-13, and have won the last six matches. The last time Memphis won was in 2015 at The Venue.
 
DAGENAIS DIALOGUE
[On playing SMU]
SMU is peaking at the right time. They have accomplished some huge wins and there are a lot of people saying they're the favorite to win the conference championship. I'd have a hard time arguing with those people because of the way SMU is playing right now, the points they're scoring, how low error they are and how well they handle the ball. Those are all reasons for a team to become a champion. We have to go down to their place, so that gives them a little bit of an advantage.  
 
[On playing Memphis]
Don't look at the one win, they've played close and played hard. They have the talent, and the coach knows what he's doing. It's at their place and it's on the Sunday of a road trip, so there's a lot of checks in their box already. We're going to have to make sure we are focusing the entire weekend, getting on the floor, and winning the serve and pass game. It's really going to be about doing things well on our side.
 
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