STATISTICS
Friday, September 28 Results:
Highlights
UCF 3, Tulane 1
The UCF volleyball team extended its winning streak to eight matches on Friday afternoon against Tulane at the Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse. After a dropping the first set, the Knights (11-3, 2-0) rallied for a 3-1 (15-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-20) victory over the Green Wave (12-6, 0-3). The Black and Gold found balance in the attack with four players reaching double figures in kills. Anne-Marie Watson led the way with a match-high 14 kills. Freshmen McKenna Melville and Brianna Garcia turned in performances of 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Kristina Fisher also chipped in with 10 kills. It marked the first time. Setters Erin Olson and Amber Olson worked the ball pin to pin to set up a versatile UCF attack. The duo combined for 42 assists, split 23 and 19, respectively. Jordan Pingel anchored the back row with 18 impressive digs.
UConn 3, Temple 1
Twenty-five would serve as the Huskies' magic number on the night as they hit that mark in all four sets against the Owls. UConn took the match with a 3-1 victory, propelling them to 10-6 overall and a pair of conference wins. UConn opened the next two sets with an onslaught of consecutive kills, three in set two and five in set three. The Huskies' strategy had weighed on the Owls by set four, which ended 25-16. The offensive pressure against Temple was led by Parker with 18 kills while R-Sophomore Genna Florig and Anna Petrova added 10 and 14 kills respectively. The Huskies balanced out their aggressive offensive approach with equally effective defense. In addition to Parker, four other players nabbed double digit digs against the Owls. Seniors Emma Turner, Kennedy Arundel, Elizabeth Kline and Iman McGary all nabbed 11 or more digs. Freshman Kennadie Jake-Turner etched her name on tonight's match with seven total blocks.
ECU 3, Houston 1
In perhaps its most impressive performance of the season, ECU cruised past Houston 3-1 (25-17, 23-25, 25-11, 25-18) before a season-high crowd of 518 Friday night inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. The Pirates (9-4, 1-1 AAC) snagged their first American Athletic Conference victory of the season while keeping the Cougars (13-5, 0-3 AAC) winless in league play. The Pirates did a great job of shutting down one of the best offensive teams in the country in the Cougars, limiting Houston to a .079 hitting percentage and 40 kills as well as five aces. The Cougars entered the match ranked fifth in the nation in total kills and total assists as well as third in total service aces. ECU was the side that excelled on the offensive end, hitting .238 with 53 kills. The Pirates also held the upper hand in digs (73-63) and total blocks (9.0-4.0). Sophomore right side Bri Wood posted her third double-double of the season, pounding down a match-high 13 kills and tying her career high of 19 digs. Shelby Martin also reached double-double status for the second-straight match, collecting 29 assists and 10 kills. She fell just three digs shy of a triple-double, ending up with seven.
Cincinnati 3, SMU 0
The Unversity of Cincinnati volleyball team was clicking on both offense and defense Friday night to post a big 3-0 sweep of SMU in the first home American Athletic Conference match of the season. The Bearcats held the Mustangs to just 34 total kills in the match while collecting 54 of their own and hitting .396 as a team. UC remains one of two unbeaten teams in conference as the team improves to 11-4 on the season and 2-0 in the American. SMU dips to 5-8 overall and 2-1 in conference. Jordan Thompson led with 22 kills in the match while hitting .415. She also had eight digs and three blocks. Jade Tingelhoff returned to action and had a team-high 22 assists. Armania Heckenmueller finished with twenty. Tingelhoff also had nine digs while Heckenmueller had 11 for a double-double. Maria Mallon and Erica Kostelac each had 14 kills while posting impressive hitting percentages of .722 and .419, respectively. Abby Williams led the team on the defensive end with twelve digs.
USF 3, Memphis 0
The USF Volleyball team played a complete match in its first American Athletic Conference road match of the year, defeating Memphis in straight sets Friday night (25-20, 25-11, 25-22). Eight Bulls (12-3, 1-1 The American) tallied kills, led by senior Clara Payne (Osteen, Fla.) with 11 on a .688 hitting percentage. Sophomore Nikkia Benitez added 10. The setter combo of senior Briana Stowell and freshman Lauren LaBeck did a great job of facilitating, tallying 13 and 16 assists, respectively. Benitez led the Bulls with four opening set kills, as an early 5-0 run created separation with the Tigers (7-8, 0-3 The American). It was the Payne and Benitez Show in the second set, as the duo accounted for 10 of USF's kills, leading to a dominant 25-11 decision. The third was tight the whole way through. With Memphis leading 21-20, a 5-1 run and a Jac'cara Walker ace completed the win.
RESULTS/UPCOMING SCHEDULE
All times Eastern and subject to change