ORLANDO -- Fresh off its season-opening 3-0 weekend at the UAlbany Volleyball Classic, the UCF volleyball team is ready to host the UCF Challenge in its home opening weekend with the first match set for Thursday, August 31 at noon.
The Matchup
- UCF hosts FIU, Mississippi State, Wake Forest and Alabama State in the UCF Challenge from August 31 through September 3.
- The Knights boast a 32-21 record over FIU with the last matchup (3-0 sweep) during the 2018 season.
- It’s been a while since the Black and Gold have faced Mississippi State (1988) and Wake Forest (1984).
- UCF will be back on the court against Alabama State for the first time since 2018 when the Hornets traveled to Orlando for the VolleyKnights Invitational.
3-0 Start
- The Black and Gold started the season off on a high note at the UAlbany Volleyball Classic with a 3-0 record.
- Three Knights were named to the All-Tournament Team: Abby Hansen (MVP), Abby Schomers and Avah Armour.
- In the season opener, Emily Wilson and Armour each recorded a double-double.
- Armour in her collegiate debut collected a double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs.
- Wilson recorded a team-high 11 kills while adding 12 digs and one block.
- UCF boasted a .473 attacking percentage against Syracuse marking it the 11th ranked in program history just behind a .485 against FAU during the 2021 season.
- Heidi Bonde was spectacular offensively against UAlbany notching a match-high 14 kills and just two errors to fire at a .522 clip.
The Jenny Maurer Era
- Jenny Maurer was named head coach of UCF volleyball in May 2023.
- She is no stranger to UCF as she has been a member of the coaching staff since 2016.
- Her resume includes nine years as a Division I head coach --Lehigh (4) and Bradley (5).
- Two-time DIII National Champion (1995 and 1996) as a player at Washington University in St. Louis.
Rounding Out The Staff
- Maurer added two associate head coaches to her staff.
- Jason Tanaka, 25-year collegiate coaching veteran with Big 12 experience (Baylor, TCU).
- Michaela Franklin, former Big 12 volleyball champion (Kansas State) and nationally recognized recruiter.
- Erin Olson stays on the staff as the Director of Operations.
Calling All Newbies
- The Knights have added a total of seven newcomers to the roster.
- Four of those are freshmen and the other three are transfers.
- The freshmen include Avah Armour, Annika Sokol, Sasha Cohen and Doga Ocal.
- Three out of the four freshmen are from Colorado and Ocal is from Turkey.
- The transfer trio includes Lauren Clark (FGCU/ Penn State), Britt Carlson (Washington State) and Megan Holland (South Carolina).
Bringing ‘Em Back
- The Knights return eight from the previous season.
- Key returners for UCF include Abby Hansen, Claudia Dillon, Chloe Scheer, Emily Wilson, Katelyn Grimes and Heidi Bonde who all saw playing time last year.
Five Peat AAC Champions
- UCF volleyball ends an era in the American with five consecutive championships.
- The Knights started their inaugural season in the American in 2013 and ended in 2023 accounting for 11 overall championship titles.
New Kids On The Block
- UCF officially joined the Big 12 Conference on July 1, 2023.
- The Knights enter the Power 5 as the youngest school, having been founded in 1963 to supply NASA with engineers.
- UCF joins the conference with Cincinnati, Houston and BYU to push the conference to 13 volleyball programs.
- The Black and Gold are 38-36 against current Big 12 schools. The Knights were ranked No. 9 in the Big 12 preseason poll.
- In the AVCA poll the Knights are one of seven Big 12 schools that were ranked or receiving votes.
Knights In The Rankings
- UCF is ranked in four categories in the top 25 of the NCAA.
- 1st in win-loss percentage with 1.000
- 15th in opponent hitting percentage with 0.089
- 19th in aces per set with 2.60
- 23rd in kills per set with 13.40
Home Court Advantage
- The Knights boasted a 13-0 record at home in 2022.
- UCF has only lost four games at home in the past three seasons.
- In 2022, the Black and Gold won the AAC Championship at home in a five-set thriller against
- Houston for a share of the championship title.
- With the move into the Big 12, season tickets have been selling like crazy.
- The Knights have sold a record number of season tickets
2022 Season Recap
- The Knights were once again among the best in the nation in 2022, finishing the season with a 28-2. overall record, going 19-1 in conference play
- UCF made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament for the third time under former head coach Todd Dagenais after defeating Yale 3-0 in UCF’s first sweep in NCAA Tournament play.
- The 2022 squad was led by McKenna Melville, Abby Hansen, Amber Olson and Claudia Dillon.
- Each received the honor of being named First Team All-Conference for their efforts throughout the 2022 season.
- The award marked Melville’s fifth consecutive and third for Player of the Year.
- Olson was also tabbed Setter of the Year for the second year in a row.
- Kari Zumach earned Second Team All-Conference for her offensive efforts.
