ORLANDO-- After taking care of business against AAC rivals Memphis and SMU, the #24 Knights volleyball team is in action this Friday in their neutral site home conference opener against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, followed by a Sunday matchup with the Wichita State Shockers. Due to the effects of Hurricane Ian, the matches will be played in Wichita, Kansas on the campus of Wichita State
Friday's matchup will start at 5 p.m. ET and Sunday's will begin at 2 p.m. ET. You can catch both games live on ESPN+.
THE KNIGHTS
UCF is on a roll to start the season, winning their first 10 matches. The Knights swept both road matchups this past weekend and have only dropped 7 sets the entire year.
Mckenna Melville continues to dominate the competition. She recorded 33 kills this past weekend, putting her at 199 on the year. Melville is now averaging 5.38 kills per set and has won two American Athletic Offensive Player of the Week awards in a row. Melville also continues to shine on defense, with 87 digs and 2.35 digs per set.
Amber Olson continues to dish out assists, recording 78 combined against Memphis and SMU. She is now averaging 11.38 assists per set and looks to break her single season record of 1,243 assists. Olson also has 28 blocks on the year.
Chloe Scheer is the team leader in digs, with 130 this season and 3.51 per set. Scheer is second on the team in assists with 44 and 1.19 a/s.
Tulsa
The Golden Hurricane will be the second Hurricane to visit UCF this week, and they look to prevent the Knights from tying up the all-time series record (11-12). Just like Wichita State, Tulsa started off the season with two conference wins against Temple and Eastern Carolina. Tulsa has a 9-5 record on the year, and has won 4 matches in a row.
UCF has defeated Tulsa in their last 5 matches. UCF won last year's matchup 3-0, taking every set 25-17.
Wichita State
Wichita State opened conference play this past weekend with two 3-0 wins over Temple and Eastern Carolina. Overall, the Shockers are 7-6 on the year. UCF is leads Wichita State in the all-time series 4-2, and are currently on a 4 match win streak.
Last year's Halloween matchup resulted in a clean sweep for the Knights. UCF won with scores of 25-11, 25-14, 25-17.
Thoughts with Todd
"First and foremost, we are so thankful for the people who threw it all together in less than 18 hours to ensure that we had a pathway out. The conference went above and beyond because they knew it was important for us to play a full schedule this year. A big thanks to the job that Wichita State has done in offering to host our games. I was able to talk with their Athletic Director and they have been so cooperative with us. Which attributes to the class that the folks at Wichita State have."
On Tulsa:
"They are the best defensive team in the league. Along with the toughest defensive match we've played all year long. The ability for our offense to get on track and then finding ways to slow down the front end of their attack. They like mix things up every year."
On Wichita State:
"I was the one person that voted for them to win the conference. They have returned more first team players than any team in the conference besides Houston. They are a very experienced team and know how to play top notch volleyball. Wichita State's coach, Chris Lamb, is one of the best tactical coaches in the conference. They are tough team right know and well will need to find a way to not get confused and play our game. I feel that they have a chance at making it to the NCAA tournament. Also, they didn't want to lose these matches because they have goals and dreams as well. So we are fortunate that they are allowing us to use their facility for the games this weekend."
