WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.— The UCF volleyball team got off to a slow start but picked it up for a reverse sweep over Illinois (21-25, 23-25, 25-15, 25-18, 15-10) in the second match of the Boilermaker Challenge in Hollway Gymnasium.
“We could’ve easily folded after going down two sets but that’s not this team,” said head coach Jenny Maurer. “They’ve proven time and again that they are warriors. I think the best part of the weekend was how much we grew from start to finish. Abby Schomers learned how to distribute both personnel and situationally. Chloe started managing our passing formation while all our attackers developed their arsenal as they picked up on their opponents’ defensive strategy. In the end, it was our relentlessness that put us in the position to close out the match.”
The Knights (9-2) tallied 11 service aces compared to the Fighting Illini (5-5) six aces. Both teams recorded 49 digs while Illinois finished with a slight advantage in total blocks (10-8). UCF held the upper hand in the kills column (62-54). The Black and Gold fired at a .300 clip as compared to Illinois’ .216.
Emily Wilson paced the Knights with 16 kills and completed her fourth double-double of the season with 10 digs while adding in five aces. Avah Armour exploded for a personal-best 14 kills. Abby Hansen chipped in with 13 kills and seven blocks. Along the back row, Chloe Scheer racked up a team-high 12 digs. Abby Schomers logged 49 assists and eight digs.
The Knights got off to a slow start as Illinois went up 4-1 early in the first set. UCF went on a quick 3-0 run to tie it up at eight but Illinois took the lead following a UCF service error. The Knights chipped away at Illinois’ lead with a 5-0 run late in the set to shorten the deficit by three, 23-20.
The Black and Gold and the Fighting Illini traded points until a 5-5 deadlock when the Knights opened the floodgates to go on a 7-0 scoring frenzy ignited by an Illinois service miscue, 12-5. The Fighting Illini put together a 7-0 rally to get within one point, 18-17. Illinois eventually tied it up at 22 but two kills from Illinois’ Jessica Nunge helped them polish off the set 25-23.
The third set was back and forth until Claudia Dillon afforded the Knights some early breathing room at 8-5 with a kill, but Illinois answered with a 5-2 run to knot the score at 10. The Black and Gold then proceeded to go on an 11-1 rally sparked by a kill from Wilson, 21-11. The Knights then paced their way through the remainder of the set earning a 25-15 set win to force a fourth set. The Black and Gold hit a .500 clip compared to Illinois' .296 for the set.
The Black and Gold continued their momentum into the fourth stanza capturing a nine-point lead (16-7). The Fighting Illini hacked away at the lead but came out unsuccessful as UCF took set four by a score of 25-18.
UCF wriggled free midway through the fifth, building a 10-4 cushion after an Illinois attacking error. The Knights cruised through the remainder of the set to earn the match win, 15-10.
UCF will head to Cincinnati to start off its inaugural Big 12 conference schedule with two matches in Ohio. The first matchup will be on Thursday, September 21 at 6 p.m.