Volleyball Drops Friday Night Tilt with Arizona in Four SetsVolleyball Drops Friday Night Tilt with Arizona in Four Sets

Volleyball Drops Friday Night Tilt with Arizona in Four Sets

by Ben Huber

ORLANDO - In another highly competitive Big 12 bout, the UCF volleyball team came up short in four sets against the Wildcats.

The Knights (11-7, 2-5) played a close four sets, but Arizona (10-6, 3-3) proved to be too much as the pair of vibrant attacks exchanged blows. Another strong performance from bench players, particularly Fallon Stewart, kept the Black and Gold in contention before the Wildcats pulled away.

There's never been a question of effort or engagement, the team was very focused, the result was an execution story. When you don't execute, especially in a conference like the Big 12, this is what you can expect to happen.

Matt BotsfordHead Coach

QUICK HITS

  • Avah Armour paced the Knights for the fifth consecutive match, tallying 15 kills to her name. Her career season has produced eight performances with 15 or more kills, with her play during Big 12 play accounting for half of them. In her last five contests, the junior has combined for 93 kills.
  • Stewart contributed plenty of offense off the bench, tallying seven kills on a team-best .385 hitting percentage. The Orlando native has 26 kills across her last three matches, her best stretch yet in Black and Gold.
  • Freshman Reese Moore set a career-high with her first double-digit dig performance, securing 10 on the night. She combined well with fellow first-year, Alexa Haley, who led the Knights with 14.
  • UCF boasted its eighth match this season with 10 or more blocks, as its defense continues to make strides. Across the squad’s last five contests, they’ve combined for 50 blocks.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Arizona jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first set, controlling the net, forcing UCF to call a timeout. Despite the slow start, the Knights brought it back to a tie at 11- all on the back of three Armor kills. In the end, Arizona pulled away and narrowly took the set 26-24 after a late surge from the Knights to force a tiebreak.

Set two was all UCF, clearly making the proper adjustments after the break. The Knights relentlessly attacked the net, scoring 16 team kills. Skylar English largely contributed to the team's success, notching three kills and two aces to help the Knights win the set 25-18. 

The third set saw Arizona take an early 5-1 lead, making it hard for UCF to get anything going offensively. UCF attempted to claw back, but it was too late as the three kills from Reagan Thompson couldn’t prevent the Knights from dropping the set, 25-20.

In line with the match before the fourth, the hosts took hold of the set early on. UCF’s effort was still evident, quickly diminishing the deficit as UCF brought the score to 10-11 after a 5-0 run. Fallon Stewart’s impact was evident, tallying six kills; however, the Arizona attack became too much, taking the set and the match, 25-17.

UP NEXT

The Knights will go on the road to face Houston on October 22, with the first serve set to be at 8 p.m. EST, before heading back home to play Texas Tech on October 25.

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 in the program's 50th Anniversary Season. 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