ORLANDO - In a tightly contested Big 12 matchup, the UCF volleyball team fell to the Texas Tech Red Raiders in four sets Saturday Afternoon at The Venue (25-17, 21-25, 18-25, 23-25).
The Knights (12-8, 3-8) started strong with a first-set lead but couldn’t maintain momentum against the Red Raiders (9-12, 1-8), whose offense found its rhythm from the second set onward. Avah Armour’s 27 kills led the Black and Gold, but it wasn’t enough to stifle the visitors' attack.
"There's a lot to figure out in a short time, but I know we have good pieces. I think we just need to play cleaner volleyball. There's been a lot of unforced errors on the stage page, and you just can't do that," said head coach Matt Botsford following the match.
QUICK HITS
- Armour’s career stretch continues as she produced her second-consecutive 20-plus-kill performance, tallying 27 against Texas Tech. The junior has had 15 or more kills in each of her last five matches, the best string of outings throughout her collegiate career.
- Freshman Nygeria Hart set a career high with five kills off the bench and the second most from a Knight this afternoon.
- Fellow first-year, Alexa Haley, paced UCF’s defense with 15 digs, the third consecutive performance with 10 or more digs for the Naples, Florida, native.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Knights came out firing in the first set, taking a commanding 12-5 lead and forcing the Red Raiders into a timeout behind a pair of Ella Chapman kills. UCF continued to find points with Armour and Reaghan Thompson securing four kills between them down the stretch to gain the early advantage, 25-17.
In the second set, the two sides went back and forth as the scoreboard hit 10 apiece. Texas Tech found its stride eventually, however, jumping out to a three-point lead before consistently growing it throughout the set. A late Knights charge forced a Red Raider timeout, though the visitors responded to level the contest, 25-21.
Texas Tech carried the momentum into the third, holding UCF’s attack to a sub-.100 hitting percentage as it pulled away early to take the lead, 25-18. Striving to respond in a similar fashion as UCF’s 3-2 comeback win at Houston on Wednesday, the Black and Gold stayed in the set, as a Mikayla Porter kill put the Knights up 23-20. In line with their growing offense, the Red Raiders fired back with five-straight points to claim the dual, 25-23.
UP NEXT
UCF will embark on its longest road trip of the season next week, venturing west for a meeting with No. 19 BYU on Wednesday before a Friday night tilt with Utah on Friday.
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.