Botsford Secures First Win, Knights Best Chattanooga on Opening NightBotsford Secures First Win, Knights Best Chattanooga on Opening Night

Botsford Secures First Win, Knights Best Chattanooga on Opening Night

by Alex Clough

ORLANDO - The first episode of an exciting new era in UCF volleyball saw a composed Knights display, disposing of Chattanooga in four sets in front of a rowdy crowd at The Venue. 

A match full of firsts, both for head coach Matt Botsford and nine newcomers, was a glance at the energy the Black and Gold will compete with throughout the campaign. 

The first one is out of the way and in the books, it's nice to start with a win. There were some things to take away, some things I was really pleased with, and we're going to have to continue to improve on certain areas.

Matt BotsfordHead Coach

QUICK HITS

  • The win marks Botsford’s first as UCF head coach.
  • The Knights move to an impressive 31-19 in season openers all-time, also moving to 23-9 when playing their first match at home. Since 2014, the Black and Gold are a dominant 11-1 in season-opening contests.
  • UCF tallied 54 kills to Chattanooga’s 36, out-hitting the Mocs by an even larger margin of .296 to .085.
  • Reaghan Thompson paced the Knights with 15 kills, the 11th match in her career where she’s reached that mark.
  • Embarking on her fourth season as the longest tenured Knight, Abby Schomers tallied an impressive 42 assists, moving her within six of ninth all-time in program history (current career total: 2,068).
  • All five freshmen saw the court in tonight’s win.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Knights exchanged blows with the Mocs before pulling out to an 18-13 lead, forcing Chattanooga into a media timeout. Avah Armour, who was named on the Big 12 Preseason Team, showed her prowess early on with multiple kills.

Down the stretch of the opening set, it was UCF’s big swingers who secured the early advantage, as Cincinnati transfer Fallon Stewart, along with Armour and Thompson, each tallied kills.

In the second, the Black and Gold’s depth was evident as Sasha Cohen broke through with five kills on seven attempts, while FGCU transfer Ella Chapman boasted five of her own to go along with a block. With their impact, UCF doubled its lead with a convincing 25-15 triumph.

A difficult third set saw the Mocs bounce back with a 25-19 score, in large part due to three service aces from Jackwin Sydney. While the sweep was off the table, the Knights showed remarkable resilience as they jumped out to a 14-5 lead in the fourth.

Familiar faces propelled the Black and Gold to the finish line, with Armour and Thompson exchanging blows before the former secured the match-winner.

UP NEXT

UCF will be back at The Venue for the second of three matches this weekend, facing off with Norfolk State at 4 p.m.

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SINGLE GAME AND SEASON TICKETS ON SALE NOW
UCF volleyball single-match and season tickets are on sale now. Be sure to catch all the action starting Aug. 29 as the Knights return to action. Tickets can be purchased online at ucfknights.com/tickets or by calling the ticket office at (407) 823-1000.

ABOUT UCF ATHLETICS
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program, representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.