Home » UCF Knights Upset Florida State In First Round of NCAA Tourney, Florida Gators Up Next

UCF Knights Upset Florida State In First Round of NCAA Tourney, Florida Gators Up Next

By  //  December 6, 2019

Next Match: vs. Florida – Friday at 7 p.m.

ABOVE VIDEO: Knights Following their First Round Win Over FSU.

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA (UCF Knights) – The UCF Volleyball team (24-7) took down in-state rival FSU (19-9) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in dramatic, five set fashion (25-19, 20-25, 20-25, 25-18, 15-8) Thursday night at Exatech Arena in Gainesville.

With the win, the Knights advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they will play the University of Florida Friday night at 7:00 p.m. ET. The victory marks the first NCAA Tournament win in the Todd Dagenais era and it is the first time the Knights have advanced to the second round since 2003.

“You see a team, that I’ve seen all year long, that just has a resilience to them,” UCF Volleyball Head Coach Todd Dagenais said. “There was no quit in them.”

In addition to it being Dagenais’s first NCAA Tournament victory, the win also secured his spot as UCF Volleyball’s all-time winningest head coach, passing Lucy McDaniel for his 237th career win.

With the win, the Knights advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they will play the University of Florida Friday night at 7:00 p.m. ET. (UCF Knights Image)

McKenna Melville powered the Knights with a 20-20 match as she posted 20 kills and 27 digs. With 118 digs as a unit, the Knights posted their highest dig total of the season, previously 82. The season-high in all of NCAA Volleyball this season is 126.

Anne-Marie Watson also turned in a solid performance in the Knights’ victory, posting 12 kills and six blocks to solidify herself as the Knight’s all-time record holder for most block assists in a single season with 151.

UCF Researchers Work to Cut Away Brain Plaque Linked to Alzheimer’s DiseaseRelated Story:
UCF Researchers Work to Cut Away Brain Plaque Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease

The Knights will face off against the University of Florida Friday night at 7:00 p.m. ET in the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville. UCF is 10-15 all-time against the Gators, with their last meeting resulting in a 3-1 UCF loss against a then ranked No. 4 Florida team.

The Knights have faced UF twice in the NCAA Tournament, in 2002 and 2003, dropping both matches by a score of 3-0.

CLICK HERE FOR BREVARD COUNTY NEWS