UCF continues hot streak with win over Marshall

The Knights defeated Marshall 3-1 (25-16, 18-25, 25-10, 25-20) thanks to a strong offensive showing. The win allowed the Knights to move up to a third-place ranking in Conference USA and also gave them their fourth-consecutive win.

The first set began with both teams going back and forth maintaining the lead as each team struggled to find its groove at the start of the match. However, the Knights quickly found their rhythm and took control of the match with killer offensive plays by senior Evija Vilde and sophomore Ashley Gialenios. The team took the match 25-16.

During the second set, the Knights struggled to maintain the team dynamism they achieved in the first set. They lost their rhythm and the match 18-25. However, after the second set and a motivational speech from head coach Todd Dagenais, the Knights came back guns blazing in the third set as they hammered down kill after kill and shagged nearly every ball Marshall sent over, taking the third set 25-10 and the fourth set 25-20.

“We know that offense is going to be a big key. This weekend, we found a great offensive rhythm,” Dagenais said. “Marie (Reiterova) has done not only a great job with her set location, but also with her decision making which has just been outstanding. For us to hit .379 for a match and have three sets well over .400, that’s just really a nice weekend for us.”

Standout players of the match included Gialenios, who set new career-highs with 16 kills, and Vilde who had 17 kills. Senior Meredith Murphy extended her season-high double-digit digs streak to 12 with a match-high 27.

This win allowed the Knights to move up to third in the conference, the seed where they were originally ranked at the beginning of the season. The Knights will travel to Houston this weekend to take on Rice and Houston.