UCF Begins Four-Game Homestand

ORLANDO, Fla. –The UCF volleyball team (20-6, 13-1) begins a four-game homestand this week as they host Memphis on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. and SMU on Saturday at 12:00 p.m.

Both matches will have live stats and can be streamed via ESPN+.
 
"When the finish line is right out there, that's the time to really put a micro focus on who you are and what you do as a team," head coach Todd Dagenais said, "I think the more we focus inward on what we need to do to be a great team at the end of the season, the better off and more successful we're going to be."
 
The Knights had another undefeated weekend after defeating both Cincinnati and East Carolina to extend their win streak to a nine.
 
Anne-Marie Watson was named the AAC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in her career after posting 29 kills and hitting an outstanding .522. She also notched 10 total blocks, including two block solos.
 
UCF found itself back in the top-20 in the NCAA RPI after moving up one spot from last week to reach No. 20.

THE FIELD
THE TIGERS
Memphis (12-14, 5-9) is coming off a strong weekend with a pair of wins over SMU in four sets and Temple in five. The Tigers are second in the conference with 16.30 digs per set (1,581 total team digs). UCF leads the long history between the two teams, 24-13, and swept the Tigers earlier this season with scores of 25-15, 25-21, 25-22. The Knights have won the last seven matchups as the Tigers have not won since 2015 in The Venue.
 
THE MUSTANGS
SMU (13-11, 9-5) split last weekend after falling to Memphis and defeating Temple. The Mustangs are third in the conference in the team's hitting percentage (.232), assists per set (12.12), kills per set (13.40), and blocks per set (2.25). Junior Alex Glover leads the conference with a .390 hitting percentage while senior teammate, Kaylyn Winkler, is third with .371. Between them is Claudia Dillon at .376. UCF got the sweep over SMU earlier in the season and have won the past five matchups, but the Mustangs still lead the all-time series, 10-13. The last time UCF lost to SMU was in a three-set match in 2017 in Dallas, Texas.
 
Thursday's match is TrendSETTERS Knight, fans are welcome to use a themed Tik Tok station at the match. Saturday is Community Day and a Food Drive accepting donations.

TODD'S THOUGHTS
[On playing Memphis]
Memphis obviously brings a significant challenge for us. They've had big wins during the year. They certainly appear hungry and energetic and they're trying to finish the season strong with a defining win. So that is something we have to keep in the back of our minds, but we have to focus on us, tweaking our own system and getting ourselves right.
 
[On playing SMU]
We've been battling them for 12 years and although we've had success in the most recent time, they are still very athletic coached by the same coach for over 20 years. Those kinds of coaches are dangerous because they know exactly what they need to do with the personnel they have. It's one of those things that we have to serve tough.
 
[On four-game homestand]
It's going to be nice to be home. I hope to see a large crowd rooting us to the finish line.

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