ORLANDO - Chloe Scheer led the Knights' defense with a career-high 30 digs en route to UCF's 3-1 victory over Nevada in The Venue on Thursday night.
The Knights (6-1) totaled 59 kills over four sets, while the Wolf Pack (7-3) were held to 47. Emily Wilson led the team in kills at 21, tying her career high. Avah Armour (12) and Alexia Kuehl (11) also recorded double digits in kills.
Scheer's 30 digs are the third most in a Big 12 match this season.
The Black and Gold came out strong early in set one, going on a 3-0 run followed by a 4-0 spurt shortly after. The Knights continued to push hard, taking a 17-11 lead in the middle of the set. Nevada fought back hard with 12 kills, but the Knights came out on top to take the set, 25-21.
The Knights continued to dominate going into the second set with several multi-point leads. With four each, Kuehl and Sasha Cohen led the team in kills for the set. The two had help from Abby Schomers’ nine assists leading to an impressive 25-15 set win.
The Knights and Wolf Pack battled back and forth until UCF went on a 4-0 run, 10-7. The Black and Gold continued to control the beginning of the set, with another 4-0 frenzy which led to a Nevada timeout. After the timeout, the Wolf Pack returned strong, tying the game at 22 in the middle of a multipoint run. Nevada did not allow another UCF point after the tie, taking the set 25-22.
The Knights came out strong in the fourth, trying to avoid a forced fifth set. The Black and Gold secured 19 kills, to the Wolf Pack’s 12. Both Armour and Wilson were able to get seven kills each. With three tied scores and three lead changes, the fourth set saw intense action. After a hard-fought battle, a kill from Kuehl clinched the win for the Black and Gold, securing the win, 25-20.
UCF will continue the UCF Invitational with a rematch with Nevada at 6 p.m. on Friday.