The SMU Volleyball team fell to UCF in the Conference-USA Opener 4-9 overall. The win bumped up the Knights record to 10-3 and are now 1-0 in C-USA play.
Kelli Becerra finished the opener with 20 assists and 8 digs while teammate Jessica Oliver led the Mustangs with 11 kills.
It wasn’t until the third set in the match that the Knights sealed the win, scoring six of the last eight points for a 20-25 win. The Mustangs fought hard for a comeback, coming as close as one point away but were unable to come ahead in the end.
However, SMU dominated on the stat sheets leading in blocks 7-5, led by Courtney Manning who posted 6 blocks. Dana Powell also had an impressive performance with a team-high of 12 digs while teammate Sydney Stewart posted 11.
SMU got off to a rough start trailing at 11-6 in the first set and was forced to call a timeout. The Mustangs scored the next three points, putting them within a 2-point-reach but the Knights took back control with the next 5 points. The Knights kept the lead 25-17.
In the second set SMU fell behind 2-0 with a 25-22 loss. SMU started off strong with an 11-6 lead but were met with a sudden increase in attack percentage .282 to .324 by the Knights. The Knights finished the set with an 18-16.
