LUBBOCK, Texas – UCF volleyball earned its fifth consecutive win in Big 12 Conference play, as the Knights swept the Texas Tech Red Raiders, 3-0 (25-9, 25-23, 25-17) in the United Supermarkets Arena on Wednesday night.
The Knights (14-2, 5-0) tallied 46 kills and a .416 hitting percentage, marking the highest hitting percentage against a conference opponent this season. UCF held the advantage in all statistical categories with seven aces, 36 digs and five team blocks. On the other side, the Red Raiders (8-9, 1-4) recorded three aces, 30 digs and 31 kills.
UCF is now one of just two unbeaten teams in the Big 12, joining No. 8 Texas (4-0). The Knights have dropped just two sets in conference action.
Emily Wilson led the match with 16 kills while Lauren Clark tallied 12 kills. Abby Hansen added nine kills and five blocks. On the defensive side, Chloe Scheer tallied a match-high 11 digs followed by Abby Schomers with seven.
“We knew we had our work cut out for us this road trip, playing a team who had just upset No. 17 Kansas,” said head coach Jenny Maurer. “I was particularly pleased with our focus and adaptiveness out of the gates to some personnel changes, which allowed us to rest some players while giving opportunities to others who have seen tangible gains in our gym day in and day out. We could not have handled our business any better.”
Wilson started off hot for the Knights scoring three of the first five points. The Knights continued to cruise through the remainder of the set to start off with a 1-0 lead in the match, 25-9. The Knights boasted a .393 hitting percentage and limited the Red Raiders to a -.143 clip.
In the second set, the Knights and Red Raiders traded points until Hansen recorded back-to-back kills to give UCF a 6-4 edge. After grabbing a 17-9 lead, the Red Raiders fought back with a 7-0 scoring run to shorten the Knights’ lead to one, 17-16. UCF continued to hold the lead as Wilson capped off the second set with a kill, 25-23.
“Even though we weren’t on our home court, we brought the energy and got the job done,” added Wilson. “We were able to keep the pressure on them throughout the entire match, which helped with our confidence on the court."
The third set started out back and forth until a 6-6 deadlock when Abby Schomers helped the Knights break away with back-to-back service aces, 8-6. The Black and Gold continued to coast their way through the set, as Clark sealed the sweep with her 12th kill of the night.
The Knights head back to Orlando with some time off between matches before they host West Virginia for a midweek matchup on Wednesday, Oct. 11 followed by a match with Kansas State on Saturday, Oct. 14. Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m.