ORLANDO – The UCF volleyball team dropped a tough match against No. 8 Kansas, falling in three sets on Saturday afternoon at The Venue.
Kansas (16-1, 7-0 Big 12) took control of the match with a strong offensive performance, hitting .346 with 49 kills and nine aces, compared to UCF’s (8-8, 1-6) .208 attacking percentage and 34 kills. Britt Carlson led the Knights with 11 kills, followed by Emily Wilson with eight. Chloe Scheer put up an impressive defensive showing with 18 digs and an ace. Mya Ball dished out 16 assists and added two aces.
Kansas led off the first set with a 3-0 start, although a kill from Wilson got the Knights on the board. The Jayhawks kept their lead throughout the set and ended with a 25-13 set win. Kansas hit for a .367 clip in the set with 15 kills on 30 attempts.
The second set featured both teams trading points early on as Wilson knotted the set up 10-10 with a kill. Kansas then went on a 5-0 run to take the lead. The Knights chipped away little by little at the Jayhawks’ lead but were unable to succumb as Kansas took the second set, 25-17.
Just like the first set, Kansas came out with a commanding 3-0 lead but the Knights chipped away to knot the set up at six by an ace from Wilson. The Jayhawks took the lead although the Black and Gold still had some fight in them as Carlson tied the set up at 17. A back-and-forth battle ensued as the Jayhawks and Knights battled it out with seven ties but Kansas served up an ace followed by a kill to end the set, 27-25.
UCF will look to bounce back as they continue its Big 12 conference play next week against Houston on Friday, October 25th at 7 p.m.