ALBANY, N.Y. – The Jenny Maurer era of UCF volleyball officially began Friday afternoon, as the Knights came out on top with a 3-1 win over Navy at the UAlbany Volleyball Classic held inside the Albany Capital Center.
The Knights (1-0) came out swinging on the offensive side totaling 50 kills on the night. Conversely, Navy (1-1) tallied just a .133 attacking percentage, committing 28 errors on 143 attempts. UCF won all three statistical battles for points earned in total kills (50-47), service aces (9-5) and total blocks (5.0-4.0).
“We knew this experienced Navy team would come out firing and they did not disappoint,” said Coach Maurer. “They’re going to make some serious noise in the Patriot League this year.”
Emily Wilson recorded a team-high 11 kills, while adding 12 digs and one block. Newcomer Avah Armour, a freshman outside hitter, showed well in her first collegiate appearance collecting a double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs. Claudia Dillon racked up three aces and compiled an impressive .471 attacking percentage with nine kills. Preseason Big 12 Conference team member Abby Hansen picked up where she left off last season, as she tallied nine kills and three blocks. In the back row, senior libero Chloe Scheer notched 14 digs. Redshirt freshman setter Abby Schomers helped the UCF offense operate smoothly with 38 assists and five digs.
Hannah Hoover paced Navy with 17 digs and Jamie Llewellyn recorded 12 kills.
"I was most proud of our staff and team’s preparation (before) and composure throughout the match," Maurer added. "As expected, different Knights came up huge at different times, but everyone contributed to this win in some capacity. The leadership displayed by our captains: Claudia Dillon, Abby Hansen and Chloe Scheer allowed redshirt freshman Abby Schomers to run her offense as if she’d been doing so for years, while Katelyn and Heidi provided both offensive and defensive sparks off the bench at critical moments. While we have much to improve upon, I’m very pleased with this start to our 2023 season."
A service ace by Schomers followed by a kill from Armour and three attack errors from Navy saw the Black and Gold race out to a 5-0 lead in the opening frame. The Knights were able to pace their way through the remainder of the set with the lead.
After an early back-and-forth scramble in set two, Hansen tied it up, 7-7 with a kill followed by an attack error from Navy to give the Knights the lead. UCF’s advantage grew to as much as 20-15 after a Navy attacking error, as the Knights were able to keep Navy at arm’s length the rest of the set to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Navy scored the first two points of the third set, but the Knights answered back with a kill from Lauren Clark followed by an ace from Katelyn Grimes to even the score, 2-2. Navy went on a quick 3-0 run to take the lead but a kill from Armour gave the Knights a 7-6 edge. Following a kill from Hansen to knot the set at 17-17, Navy answered with a kill to take the lead and carry it through the end of the set to force a fourth set.
Dillon started off the fourth stanza with a kill but Navy fought back to tie the set at 4-4. After a few lead changes, the Knights utilized a kill from Armour to pull ahead 12-11. The Black and Gold did not relent, closing out the match via Schomers’ first kill of the day.
UCF will be back in action on Saturday, August 26 against Syracuse with first serve slated for noon.