Volleyball Ventures West for Matches at No. 17 BYU and Utah

PROVO - The UCF volleyball team is set for its longest road trip of the season this week, venturing out to Utah for a pair of critical conference matchups with No. 17 BYU on Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST, before concluding the trip with a Halloween contest on Friday in Salt Lake City against Utah at 9 p.m. EST.

The Black and Gold have yet to defeat the Cougars in five meetings all-time, with an 0-3 record highlighting their Big 12 contests. The lone match in Provo between the two schools came back in 2004 in the last of a three-match tournament at BYU.

In 2024, the Knights and Utes went five sets in Orlando before the visitors prevailed, taking the first match between the two programs since 1996. On the road this season, the Knights boast a 3-2 record and a 1-2 mark in Big 12 play. 

About BYU (17-4, 5-4)

The Cougars are fresh off a season-defining upset over No. 10 TCU in Fort Worth, defeating the Horned Frogs in four sets. The result came just days after pushing No. 19 Baylor to five sets in Waco and a similar performance to a five-set defeat against No. 6 Arizona State a week prior.

BYU is led by one of the Big 12’s most prolific attacks, ranking second in the conference in kills per set (14.14), aces per set (1.64), while ranking first in assists per set (13.21) and hitting percentage (0.273). Setter Alex Bower ranks first in the Big 12 in assists per set (10.76) and seventh in the NCAA. A pair of her common targets are Suli Davis (4.35 kills per set) and Claire Little Chambers (9.79 kills per set), both ranking top-10 in the conference.

Armour Up
The junior led the Knights to a comeback win at Houston behind her career-high 35.5 points on 28 kills and four service aces before another stellar 27-kill outing against Texas Tech on Saturday. The performances marked just the second and third times in her career she’s secured 25 or more kills in a match, and the first occasion doing it back-to-back. In Big 12 matches this season, Armour ranks third in total kills (169) and kills per set (4.83). In front of her family, Armour secured a career-high 30 kills against the Buffaloes in Boulder on Oct. 2, the most by a Knight since McKenna Melville did so against Georgia on Sept. 11, 2021, while becoming just the 18th in program history to record 30 or more kills in a single match. Armour has secured 10 or more kills in a match more times than she hasn’t since making her collegiate debut in 2023, with 46 10-plus-kill outings in 70 career matches. Armour was tabbed to the Big 12 Volleyball Preseason Team (one of 18 athletes), voted upon by the league’s head coaches.

Freshman Sensations
All five of UCF’s true-freshmen have made an impact on the floor, with all five having recorded substantial playing time. The group is highlighted by freshman libero Alexa Haley’s team-leading 205 digs and Mikayla Porter’s 131 assists and 18 service aces (marks that each rank second on the team). Haley and Sarah Mendoza have played in each of the Knights’ 20 contests. On Saturday, Nygeria Hart secured a career-high five kills against Texas Tech, the second-most by a Knight in the defeat.

Drama in the Space City 
Down multiple match points and an entire set in Houston, the Knights battled back to claim their first five-set victory of the season and third in Big 12 play since joining the conference in 2023. Avah Armour led the charge with a career-high 35.5 points and 17 digs, with her 28 kills serving as the second most by the junior this season. A driving force for the Black and Gold came from the service line, with the squad landing a season-high 14 aces against the Cougars. Abby Schomers was supplying the opportunities, tallying a season-high 52 aces.

English 101
English is the NCAA’s most prolific server, leading the nation and the Big 12 with 0.82 aces per set, while ranking second in the NCAA in total aces (55). The position is fitting to English as she’ll also be the active DI leader in career aces (225), having suprassed the 200-mark with a career-high nine aces against Memphis, matching the UCF program record set by Lorin Lukas on Sept. 16, 2006, against Troy. English’s offensive prowess doesn’t end at the service line, as her 3.30 kills per set rank second on the team and 13th in the Big 12, while her 4.34 points per set rank ninth in the conference and second on UCF... Her nine aces against Memphis were the second-most by a player in the NCAA this season in a four-set match, trailing only Alabama’s Hannah Parant, who totaled 10 of her own against the Tigers the day prior.

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.