ORLANDO – The UCF volleyball team is finally back in Orlando this weekend for matchups against Temple on Friday at 7 p.m. ET and East Carolina on Sunday at 12 p.m. ET. You can tune in to ESPN+ to view both games this weekend.
Friday's match will be Dig Pink, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, make sure to wear pink to The Venue on Friday.
Abby Hansen continues to be an asset to the team, contributing 10 kills and three blocks in the match against Tulane. This match pushed Hansen's season totals to 111 kills with 58 blocks for the season so far, five of them being solo blocks.
Claudia Dillon was another game leader in the Tulane match, contributing five kills and three blocks. Dillon has had a strong start to her season all around, with 89 kills and 50 blocks. This season she has averaged 1.82 kills per set and 1.02 blocks per set.
Temple
The Owls have hit a rough patch in their season, being defeated in their last three matches. With a record of 7-10, Temple will be looking for a victory this weekend to bring their losing streak to an end. They will have to put up a tough battle, since the Knights have an impressive history against the Owls, winning their last 10 matches since 2017. The last time these teams faced off, during the 2021 season, the Black and Gold swept Temple with a 3-0 win.
East Carolina
UCF has a successful record against East Carolina as well, with a 9-1 record in these two teams last 10 matchups. Out of those 10 matches, the Knights have won the last eight games in a row and are hoping to continue that momentum in this season's face off. In last season's match, UCF dominated all around, with 53 kills and six blocks compared to East Carolina's 32 kill and three blocks. This conference game will be exciting to watch as the Knights are currently ranked No. 2 in the AAC, with East Carolina ranked No. 6. The Pirates come into the match with a 8-10 record, winning the last three matches.
Thoughts with Todd:
Temple:
Temple is an unknown, another team we will play with a new coach this year. They've had a tough go of it for the first part of their schedule, they've played a lot of close matches and ended up short. It's a team that's hungry for a big win. As a team we have to be ready for that.
East Carolina:
They've become one the hottest teams in the last couple of weeks. That's going to be a match where we are going to have to go out and really execute starting with the serve and pass. Along with how we line up our blocks. ECU always presents a problem, always playing us well. Adler is a great coach and always gets the team fired up and in the right spot. It's going to be a battle of consistency. We are going to have to focus on our side of the game.
Dig Pink:
Breast cancer has affected so many people especially in our volleyball family. We think this is really an important cause. Something that volleyball has been doing for awhile now by raising money and awareness. This is our little way of trying to give back and help a significant cause that touches all of our lives in one way or another.
