Volleyball Welcomes No. 24 BYU and No. 20 UtahVolleyball Welcomes No. 24 BYU and No. 20 Utah

Volleyball Welcomes No. 24 BYU and No. 20 Utah

by Jenna VanHoose
Live Stats Watch on ESPN+ Match Notes

The Matchup

  • UCF begins its final home stretch of the season, hosting BYU and Utah on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.
  • This will be the fifth matchup between the Knights and Cougars as the BYU leads the series 4-0.
  • The matchup against Utah features the first time since 1996 the two teams have met, the series is tied 1-1.
  • BYU is ranked second in the Big 12 averaging 2.48 blocks per set and fourth with a hitting percentage of .260.
  • Currently, Utah is ranked second in the league averaging 18.17 points per set and 13.17 assists per set.
  • The Knights average 13.25 kills per set which ranks them seventh in the conference standings.

Scouting BYU

  • The Cougars enter the matchup 14-8 on the season and are 7-5 in Big 12 play.
  • Head coach Heather Olmstead is in her ninth season overall and boasts a 252-44 record with the Cougars.
  • Claire Little leads the Cougars with 332 kills and averages 3.95 per set which ranks her third in the Big 12 standings.
  • Lilly Nicholson leads the Cougar’s offense with 9.82 assists per set which ranks her fifth in the Big 12 standings.

Scouting Utah

  • The Utes enter the matchup with a 19-5 record and are 9-4 in Big 12 play.
  • Head coach Beth Launiere is in her 35th season overall and boasts a 668-424 record with Utah.
  • Kamryn Gibadlo leads the Utes with 294 kills and averages 3.50 per set which ranks her 10th in the Big 12 standings.
  • Claranne Fechter is the team’s leader in digs with 284 and averages 3.69 digs per set to be ranked ninth in the Big 12.

Kuehl with the kill

  • Alexia Kuehl leads the Knights with a .389 hitting percentage and is ranked No. 4 in the Big 12.
  • The middle blocker has tallied the third-most kills on the team with 163 to go along with 50 blocks this season.
  • A transfer from Colorado, where she spent the last four seasons, decided to move back to Florida for her last year.

Road Warriors

  • The Knights started their season with three weekends on the road.
  • UCF traveled to Virginia and North Carolina, along with two weekends on the road in Florida.
  • It marked the first time since the 2017 season that the Knights played their first three weekends away from The Venue.

Milestone Watch

  • Chloe Scheer has recorded 1,460 digs in her career at UCF, which ranks fifth in the individual career records.
  • The Murrieta, California, native currently has 133 aces, the ninth most in program history.

Knight in Shining Armour

  • Headlined by 12 matches with double digits in kills along with a career-high 18 kills at Stetson (9/5), Avah Armour leads the Black and Gold with 195 kills.
  • Armour came back to action against Cincinnati (10/30) after nursing an injury that caused her to miss three matches.
  • The sophomore sprung right back in recording 13 kills and two aces against Cincinnati (10/30).
  • Armour recorded her first double-double this season in the season opener against Virginia Tech (8/31).
  • The Colorado native’s 18 kills at Stetson rank in the top five in the Big 12 for kills in a three-set match.

Knights In The Rankings

  • Four players are currently ranked in the top 10 of the Big 12 rankings.
  • Chloe Scheer is fourth in the conference, averaging 4.28 digs per set.
  • Scheer is eighth with 206 total digs.
  • Abby Schomers slides in at No. 7 with 9.25 assists per set.
  • Avah Armour has tallied 10.28 attacks per set which ranks sixth in the Big 12.
  • Alexia Kuehl ranks fourth in the Big 12, hitting a .389 clip.

Double-Trouble Quartet

  • Four Knights have recorded double-doubles this season led by Avah Armour and Abby Schomers with three each, followed by Emily Wilson with two and Sasha Cohen with one.
  • Cohen earned her first double-double of her career against Houston (Oct. 25) as she recorded 15 kills and 11 digs.
  • Schomers and Cohen each have recorded double-doubles in Big 12 matches this season.
  • Schomers notched her third double-double against Colorado (Oct. 13) with 26 assists and 12 digs.