Botsford Era Begins
After a historic 11 seasons at FGCU, Matt Botsford embarks on his first season leading UCF volleyball. Among the winningest active coaches in the nation, Botsford led the Eagles to a combined 11 Atlantic Sun titles and five NCAA tournament appearances, all while becoming the most successful head coach in FGCU history... .711 (263-78) ranks ninth among active head coaches in career winning percentage... In the four seasons before his arrival, Botsford and the Eagles claimed a combined seven conference titles and advanced to the NCAA second round in 2021.
Back in The Kingdom
The Knights are set to open up the 2025 campaign with the first of two home tournaments, welcoming Chattanooga, Norfolk State and UC Riverside for an action-packed three days of volleyball... It marks the first time since 2022 that UCF has opened the season at home, taking a pair of contests against Syracuse and Kansas State... In program history, the Black and Gold are 30-19 in season-opening bouts and 22-9 when opening the season at home... UCF has claimed its last three season openers and is 10-1 dating back to 2014.
Familiar Faces
While the Knights return just six athletes from their 2024 roster, multiple marquee pieces will help lead UCF on and off the court this season... The longest tenured player in Black and Gold, Abby Schomers will begin her fourth season in Orlando with her third different coaching staff... Joining her will be Avah Armour, the team leader in kills (277) a season ago, Sasha Cohen, who enjoyed a stellar freshman campaign, along with consistent contributors Sophia Kotsovolos (Sr.), Megan Holland (R-Jr.) and Mya Ball (So.)... In total, UCF will return 506 (38%) kills, 1,078 (89%) assists, 479 (35%) digs, 167 (87%) blocks and 664.5 (40%) points.
Out: Rebuild... In: Reimagine
“I want to steer away from this concept of ‘rebuilding,’ there’s a ton of talent and history here. It's simply about reimagining what we can do and elevating this program to another level” - Botsford at Big 12 Volleyball Media Days
New Faces in Familiar Places
While each of the four transfers will be suiting up in Black and Gold for the first time, each will be around familiar faces or places... Joining Botsford in Orlando are a pair of experienced and decorated transfers, Skylar English and Ella Chapman, who have been key figures in the last two Atlantic Sun title-winning squads... Joining them will be Reaghan Thompson, joining her former Northwestern State head coach and current UCF assistant, Sean Kiracofe... Rounding out the group will be Orlando native Fallon Stewart, a standout freshman at Cincinnati and former Gatorade Florida Volleyball Player of the Year finalist at Winter Park High School... Overall, the four transfers bring 1,071 kills, 75 aces, 657 digs, 268 blocks and 1,328 points... the incoming Knights produced 81 percent of UCF’s overall point toal in 2024 (1,644.5).
Freshmen Sensations
With five exciting athletes ready to enter the fold, the Knights’ five-player freshmen class marks the most since 2020 (five)... Three liberos, a setter and an outside hitter will bolster an already deep roster... Florida natives Alexa Haley and Mikayla Porter won a combined six state championships, with the former claiming one each yet in High School with Seacrest Country Day in Naples... Sarah Mendoza enjoyed a prolific career at Colleyville Heritage High School in Bedford, Texas, and was rated a top-50 player in the state... Reese Moore signed for the Knights in November 2024 after producing a stellar senior season at Franklin High School, while Port Charlotte, Florida, native Nygeria Hart is a dynamic outside hitter who tallied more than 1,000 kills throughout her career.
Staff Assembled
Botsford hired an experienced and dedicated coaching staff to help reimagine the program... Joining him in Orlando from FGCU is associate head coach Kate Morrell, who had been alongside Botsford through each of the last four Atlantic Sun titles and NCAA appearances... Morrell was a standout player at UAB for four seasons... Sean Kiracofe brings head coaching experience to the office, having led Northwestern State for a decade before making the shift to an assistant role with the Knights... Prior to his time in Louisiana, the Texas Tech graduate worked with winning programs at SMU, UNLV and Montana State... Rounding out the group is Trevor Kennan, an up-and-coming coach who got his start on staff at Virginia after graduating from George Mason.
Armour Up
After another stellar season in 2024, which saw her lead the Knights in kills (277) and points (324.5), Armour was tabbed to the Big 12 Volleyball Preseason Team (one of 18 athletes)... Voted upon by the league’s head coaches, the Colorado native was one of eight outside hitters included on the exclusive squad... In 2024, she also tallied 21 aces (second on UCF) and a team-leading 19 solo blocks.
Enjoy the Schow
A focal point of UCF’s last two teams has been redshirt-junior Abby Schomers, who is embarking on her fourth season with the Knights... In 2023, she became the ninth Knight in program history to surpass 1,000 assists (1,073)... With an additional 953 in 2024, the setter now stands 10th in program history in career assists.\
Orlando Migration
With his move to UCF, Botsford brought a pair of marquee figures within his FGCU squads... Fifth year Skylar English left Southwest Florida after four dominant seasons where she led her team to four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances... In 2024, English ranked second in the NCAA in aces per set (0.64) and third in total aces (75), while becoming the sixth player in program history to finish a season with over 500 points (509.5)... She was named Atlantic Sun Championship MVP after racking up 39 total kills in the tournament and recording a double-double in the semifinals against EKU... Ella Chapman is a rising junior who enjoyed a pair of strong campaigns to commence her collegiate career at FGCU... In 2023, Chapman was named the Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year... In each of her first two seasons, she has been named Third Team All-Atlantic Sun.
Hometown Hero
After a brilliant freshman season at Cincinnati, Orlando native Fallon Stewart will return to Central Florida and suit up in Black and Gold... The Winter Park High School graduate tallied an even 200 kills, the third most among Bearcats in 2024... Stewart recorded nine matches with double-digit kills and added an impressive 72 digs and 26 blocks to her name... While leading a dominant Winter Park team, Stewart totaled 1,518 career kills and was named a AVCA Girls High School First Team All-American... she was also a finalist for Florida’s Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year award.
Defending The Kingdom
As Botsford prepares to coach his first regular-season contest in UCF colors, the Knights have consistently made The Venue a difficult place to play for traveling opponents... Prior to 2024, the Black and Gold hadn’t had a losing season at home since 2015... Overall, the Knights are 169-73 at The Venue... In 2018, Botsford and his FGCU squad came into The Venue and upset UCF in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The Road Ahead
As college athletics continues to shift, conferences have now become continental organizations... In 2025, the Knights will travel a combined 14,333 miles across six different road trips... a pair of the trips will be over 3,000 miles (Orlando to Boulder to Ames to Orlando = 3,356... Orlando to Salt Lake City to Provo to Orlando = 3,846.
