ORLANDO – Headlined by four Knights reaching double digits in kills, UCF volleyball opened the UCF Invitational in dominant fashion over the Florida State Seminoles in three sets (25-21, 30-28, 25-23) on Thursday night in The Venue.
“It certainly didn’t feel like a sweep because it was a battle the entire time,” said head coach Jenny Maurer. “Coach Poole’s teams are known for acquiring some of the best talent and athletes around. Tonight, I was super proud of the grit we showed along with our ability to execute in the red zone. Our team kept their composure at critical moments and capitalized on Florida State errors.”
The Knights (7-1) dominated with 11 service aces forcing the Seminoles (4-3) into 11 reception errors. UCF racked up 49 kills and hit .359 while also holding the advantage in total digs (40-38). UCF came out hot in the first set, committing just one error on 36 attempts with 19 kills to fire at a .500 clip. Emily Wilson led the match with 12 kills. Claudia Dillon tallied 11 kills on 14 swings for a .714 attacking percentage. Abby Hansen and Lauren Clark each contributed 10 kills. On the defensive side, Chloe Scheer recorded nine digs along with four service aces. Katelyn Grimes and Abby Schomers were the unsung heroes of the match, Schomers executed the game plan accounting for 38 assists while Grimes racked up 10 digs.
In a back-and-forth first set the Knights and Seminoles traded points until a 13-13 deadlock before a Florida State 3-0 run forcing the Black and Gold to burn a timeout. Following the pause in play, the Knights recorded three consecutive kills to even the score, 16-16. UCF took control after a kill from Avah Armour to ignite a 4-0 scoring spurt. The Black and Gold's first service ace came from Armour to end the set, 25-21.
Neither side could create much separation in the second stanza featuring 15 ties and eight lead changes. The Knights went on a quick 5-0 run capitalizing on Florida State’s attacking mishaps. With the score knotted at 28, Chloe Scheer came in clutch with back-to-back service aces to give the Knights a 2-0 lead in the match.
UCF forced the Seminoles into an early timeout in the third frame by scoring seven of the first 10 points. The Knights doubled the score with a kill from Wilson, 14-7. The Seminoles drew within three points following a successful challenge, but Hansen answered back with a kill, 17-13. The Knights took advantage of Florida State’s serving miscues to earn the 3-0 sweep, 25-23.
The Knights will return to action Saturday afternoon, hosting North Texas at 1 p.m.