TUSCON, Ariz. – UCF Volleyball returned to its winning ways Sunday afternoon, sweeping 3-0 Arizona in Tuscon for its fourth conference win in the past five contests. While the Wildcats refused to go away easily, the Knights handled their business on the road to bounce back and improve their record to 12-9.
Both Avah Armour and Kiki Horne slammed down double-digit kills, with 16 and 10, respectively, while Sasha Cohen led all attackers, hitting .316 for seven kills, and garnering six total blocks on the evening as well.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UCF and Arizona kept it tight in the opening of the first set, going point-for-point until a stellar sideout from an Ella Chapman saw a two-point lead, followed by a short run at the service line for Mikayla Porter to put the Knights at the 10-point mark first. Even past the media timeout, no program could gain more than a one-point lead, until Porter went back to the line again and pushed UCF out to a five-point lead. A rocket of a serve from Reese Moore secured the first set for the Knights, 25-20, giving them a good momentum push into the second.
The next set followed the same adventure as the previous, with the longest run of it coming in a four-point stretch with Avah Armour at the service line. The senior knocked down an ace and forced an Arizona timeout after pushing it to 8-4. The Wildcats responded after the break and took advantage of a few UCF mistakes to take a four-point lead at 19-15. Kiki Horne exploded after the Arizona run, slamming home back-to-back kills to get the Knights back into the set. Nygeria Hart sealed the second set victory with her lone attack and kill on the afternoon to put it away 25-23.
On the brink of their second sweep of Big 12 play, the Knights kept their foot on the gas to open set three, pushing out to a 5-2 lead thanks in part to a pair of Armour kills. A challenging Wildcats run got them back into the set, but UCF was not going to let the match get away from them. Cohen turned away UA attacks on the block, while Natasha Casey fired a kill off an assist from Armour to tie the set back up at 10. The back-and-forth affair continued until the match’s end, but it was Armour and Chapman who helped carry UCF to a 25-23 victory, with the pair combining for four kills on the back half of the set and Chapman, partnered with Porter, shut down a Wildcat attack on match point.
Alexa Haley rebounded from a difficult Friday contest to lead UCF in digs, getting up 21, while Porter dished out 36 assists. The Knights held Arizona to just .086 hitting percentage with 24 attacking errors.
UP NEXT
UCF returns to Orlando this week, hosting Iowa State Thursday and Houston Sunday in The Venue. First serve Thursday is at 6 p.m. and at 1 p.m. Sunday.
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.