ORLANDO, Fla. – The UCF volleyball team (21-6, 14-1) extended its win streak to 10 straight with another sweep over Memphis (12-15, 5-10) on Thursday night from The Venue with scores of 25-18, 25-19, 25-14.
"We did exactly what we wanted to do," head coach Todd Dagenais said, "Our passing was almost flawless, I thought our serving was outstanding and defensively, we were really good."
McKenna Melville recorded her 13th double-double of the season with 15 kills and 14 digs. Anne-Marie Watson also hit on all cylinders for 14 kills while hitting .545 and adding two blocks.
Tali Marmen notched seven kills to hit .312 and had three blocks, including two block solos. Nerissa Moravec led with four blocks on the day and added six kills.
Amber Olson had herself a day with 41 assists, three aces, nine digs and three blocks.
Despite a 1-5 start, the Knights came back fast to tie the set up 6-6 before walking away to a six-point lead at 20-13 after a 3-0 run. From there, Watson and Marmen chipped in two kills while Melville earned the kill to close out the set, 25-18.
The Knights brought their momentum into the second set, leading 13-9. UCF then used a big 5-0 run to lead 20-12. Olson secured the set win with an ace, 25-19. The Knights went up 2-0, heading into the third.
UCF got out first for a 5-1 lead in the third, but Memphis fought back to tie it at 8. From that point on, it was all the Knights with a 6-0 run, 14-8, before grabbing a 10-point lead 21-11. UCF secured the sweep with a 25-14 win in the third.
The Knights extend their win streak to 10 straight and get their lucky number 13 sweep of the season.
TODD'S THOUGHTS
[On improvement from beginning of season]
It has been immense, and we still aren't done. There is still more out there for us and they still have more to give. I think that is a sign of a healthy program: a team that is never satisfied with where they are. We have matured, we have settled down, and we are not as frantic. We are playing chill and communicating. We are forcing a team to beat us instead of giving a team a chance to beat us.
[On Amber Olson]
I thought Amber executed the offense really well. I cannot say enough about her decision making. The hitters got the ball and they did something with it. They are playing for her while she is playing for them. That's a sign of a mature and growing team.
Anne-Marie Watson
[On improvement of team]
We have made incredible strides as a team. After watching film, it has been amazing to see how much better we've gotten and how much we've grown together. It can be easy to see the end of the tunnel, but we can't just coast through these last few games. We have to be crisp and be on our A game to finish strong.
UP NEXT
UCF is back home on Saturday, November 13, to take on SMU at 12:00 p.m. from The Venue.
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