UCF Volleyball 50th Anniversary Special: 2014 with Hall of Famer DeLaina SardenUCF Volleyball 50th Anniversary Special: 2014 with Hall of Famer DeLaina Sarden

UCF Volleyball 50th Anniversary Special: 2014 with Hall of Famer DeLaina Sarden

by Katharyn Gregory

“They said you couldn't do it.” 

The strength coach at the time repeated this mantra with the UCF Volleyball team to remind them to push their limits and rise to any challenge.

The Knights did just that during their historic 2014 campaign, garnering attention to the program with a record-breaking season, earning their first American Athletic Conference Championship. 

DeLaina Sarden led the charge, combining talent with impactful kills and blocks for the title-winning roster. The teammates both held multiple records while leading the squad to a dominant and impactful postseason run.

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Former head coach Todd Dagenais (2008-22) led the group to repeated trophies during his tenure at UCF, bringing home five consecutive American Athletic Conference Championships from 2018-2022, though the first came in 2014. The program-defining year was the first time the Black and Gold advanced to the NCAA tournament since 2003. The squad advanced to the second round of the tournament before ultimately falling to Miami, 3-2.

The roster featured six seniors, including DeLaina Sarden, who left behind an undeniable legacy. In her senior year, she was able to reach fourth in career blocks at UCF all-time. The Georgia native held multiple titles in her last campaign, being named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, an honor that was eventually triumphed by her induction to the UCF Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2023.

Sarden started playing when she turned 16 and was the first in her family to play at a Division One university. She had always wanted to go to school in Florida, eyeing Florida A&M since her mom went to fellow HBCU Jackson State. Though her game continued to rise, UCF was one of the first interest letters received by Sarden and became a top choice after being the perfect distance from her hometown. “I wanted to go to a school that bordered Georgia so that my family would be able to see me play.”

Sarden was inspired to come to Orlando to learn under the Knights’ assistant coach, Michelle Chatman, who was a model athlete at Florida and the type of player that Sarden wanted to emulate. The decision immediately looked to be the right one, as she was tabbed Conference USA Freshman of the Year in 2011, before being named to the first team in the program's inaugural campaign in The American in 2013.

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Throughout the season, the group went through some losses, but didn’t let those bring them down. A fulfilling turnaround for Sarden was after back-to-back losses against Temple and Tulsa, making for a difficult closing stretch to keep control of the conference. While taking both matches the distance, the black and gold had to travel to Texas to take on Houston after bouncing back with victories against SMU and Tulane, striving to clinch once and for all.

The match that weekend was hard fought, as the arena was filled with red and white. The stadium was intimidating, so the eventual triumph against Houston in four sets became a confidence booster for the group, who were now champions.

It was actually a really phenomenal moment to have that day, especially to clinch. They had flowers ready; it was almost as if everybody believed that we were gonna be able to do it, which we ultimately did.

DeLaina SardenOn clinching at Houston

On top of earning spots on the 2014 All-Region First team, All-American Athletic Conference First team and player of the week four times that season, Sarden also littered the record book with achievements.

The middle blocker soared in her senior year, becoming the 10th player in UCF Volleyball history to reach 1,000 career kills. She was a leader to her teammates and left UCF with a championship-shaped notch on her belt to complete her collegiate journey. 

All of my experiences really are what allowed me to be a better leader. I still wasn't captain, but in terms of how you bring people in, how you have those one-off conversations, talk to somebody in the gym, or decide you're gonna take a girl to lunch. I felt like all of that had prepared me because I felt like I belonged, like I could do it.

DeLaina SardenOn leading by example
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Joining the ranks with Sarden, Bright was also added to the AVCA All-Regional First Team and All-American Conference First Team. During her time at UCF, she reached a record-high 64 solo blocks, 1,368 kills, 1,221 digs and averaged an impressive 3.33 kills per set. 

The 2014 squad has graduated and built lives of their own now, but the impression the sport, and more specifically UCF, made on them is everlasting.

If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't change my decision to go to UCF, and I'll always stand by that. When it comes to what it means to be a Knight, it's about being relentless and resilient. You have dents in your armor, but there's a reason why you have that protection.”

DeLaina SardenOn the impact UCF had on her life

Both players were key in reaching the first of four AAC championships and setting the tone for the following years. While the program is a part of the Big 12, looking back on the people who helped build the program's foundation for the 50th anniversary shows how far Volleyball has come in Orlando.