UNCW title improves Knights to perfect 6-0

The Knights made sure to let the state of North Carolina know who they are.

The women's volleyball team battled back to defeat UNC-Greensboro 3-2, then proceeded to sweep South Carolina State, 3-0 to take home the UNC Wilmington/Courtyard by Marriott Tournament title and improve its record to 6-0 on the year.

"It is important for us to win tournaments," head coach Todd Dagenais said in a press release.

"To be a champion you have to win like a champion and win championships, and we did that this weekend."

The sixth-straight win marks the first time the Knights have won all six of their first contests since 1983, and it's the first time since UCF joined Division I in 1984.

Junior captain Kristin Fisher was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after posting 31 kills, 22  digs and 33.0 points during the tournament, and Sophomores Evija Vilde, who hit .214 with 30 kills, nine digs and recorded four blocks, and Meredith Murphy, 39 digs and 11 assists, was also named to the All-Tournament team.

"Greensboro did a good job of putting Kristin in the position that she had to be perfect to be successful, and it is not fair to ask any player to be perfect," Dagenais said in the release. "But she found ways to manufacture points even when the shot wasn't there. She was a stabilizing force and her confidence continues to spread through the team, even at times when we struggled."

UCF went down two sets to UNC Greensboro for the second straight year, and just like last year, the Knights battled back to win three sets to complete the rally.

"That match was won on shear guts and courage and there is no line in the stat column that reflects that," Dagenais said in the release.

Less than three hours after the grueling match, the Knights turned around and swept the South Carolina State Bulldogs in straight sets to capture the tournament crown and finish off a successful day on the court.

Angelica Crump led the Knights with a .579 attacking percentage and set a career high in kills.

The Knights return home to host the Courtyard by Marriott/UCF Classic at The Venue Sept. 10-11. Florida Atlantic, Baylor and Jacksonville will travel to Orlando for the tournament.