Season starts with 2nd place tourney finish

UNF's defense was a tough test for the Knights in their final day of the Marriot Classic tournament over the weekend.

"They played tenacious, fierce defense," head coach Todd Dagenais said. "It might be some of the best defense we're going to see the entire year."

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The volleyball team took second place in the Marriot Classic. The Knights (2-1) defeated North Florida (1-2) Saturday night, 3-1, after losing the first set to the Ospreys.

"I give a lot of credit to [UNF head coach] Kevin [Maureen Campbell] and her team," Dagenais said. "I'm really lucky we got to see something like that in non-conference, and I'm really happy that our players had to be tested early like this. That's going to be a lesson we're going to take for the rest of the year."

UCF senior Rachel Vukson posted a double-double and had 41 assists and 10 digs, while sophomore Angelica Crump concluded the Classic with 16 kills for the Knights.

"I didn't even realize I got 10 digs," Vukson said. "Our defense is set up around that so it made easier to get those tips."

Meredith Murphy was another key player in UCF's rally to win the game. The junior ended with 22 digs.

Crump was the top player overall from the classic and a key component for the Knights.

"I looked at the stat sheet and she [Crump] was hitting almost .500, which is crazy," Vukson said. "With one error, and it's just awesome because I know that if I need to set her in a desperation play or anything, she's not going to get an error and she's more than likely, or close to more than likely to get a kill. So it's just a great person to rely on."

Dagenais also spoke about the "roller-coaster ride" that his team endured during Saturday's match.

"It was exactly what we were expecting from them," Dagenais said. "They came out with a bunch of energy and swung for the fences. They gave us a lesson in having to be composed when we start the match."

Dagenais said he noticed a sign of maturity for the Knights when they were able to settle down halfway through the second set and start executing.

Crump and Vukson were awarded all-tournament accolades for their strong efforts during the Classic.

UCF will look ahead to the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament, which will be an immense test going up against top-ranked USC.

"It's the best kind of competition we can get to prepare for our season," Murphy said. "Those games are just fun, fun competition and fun to play against people who know how to play volleyball and know what their doing."

The Knights will travel to Ft. Myers over Labor Day weekend to play USC and Furman on Friday and Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday.