ORLANDO - UCF volleyball fell against No. 19 Kansas on Sunday afternoon at The Venue, 3-1 (13-25, 25-19, 15-25, 22-5).
Avah Armour led the Knights in the attack with 12 kills, followed by Sasha Cohen with seven. In her first match back since Iowa State, freshman Natasha Casey landed an impressive six aces as the Knights as a team totaled 10.
How It Happened
The first set opened with a lead from Kansas, but the Knights did not let the Jayhawks get far, as they kept the score within three points. Kills by Armour, Casey and Cohen led the attack with two points each. Despite the efforts, the visitors claimed the opening set, 25-13.
UCF built a gap in the second set, garnering a five-point lead by the first timeout, 10-5. The lead continued into the set and, within their dominance, the Knights went on a 15-4 run. In addition to aces by both Porter and Stewart, kills by Nygeria Hart, Kiki Horne, Stewart, Chapman and Cohen widened the gap.
The charge continued throughout the set, bringing UCF to match point, where the Knights secured the second set win with a kill by Armour, 25-19.
Set three consisted of four service aces from Natasha Casey, which marked the second time in her career she's downed four in a set. While the service pressure kept UCF close, a challenging set against the Jayhawks ended in Kansas’s favor, 25-15.
Back-and-forth play started the fourth set before the Black and Gold pulled ahead, losing the lead for a short time before they gained it back and created a five-point advantage through some strong attacking sequences. The set came down to the wire at 21-21, before the Jayhawks pulled ahead to win the set and the match, 25-22.
Up Next
The Knights will travel to Houston, Texas, to face Houston on October 16 at 7:30 p.m.