The UCF Knights volleyball team upset #24 Iowa State in straight sets (25-20, 25-20, 25-21) Saturday afternoon in front of 1,200 fans at The Venue on Senior Knight.
The sweep marks the Knights’ (15-9, 6-7
Big 12) first home win over a ranked opponent since defeating #22 Houston in 2022 and the program’s eighth all-time ranked victory. The last time UCF Volleyball swept a top-25 team was in 2011 against #3 USC.
Just more than a month earlier, the Knights fell to the Cyclones in Ames in four sets on Oct. 4.
Head coach Matt Botsford is now the second coach in program history to defeat multiple ranked opponents, following Todd Dagenais in 2022, and the first to accomplish the feat in his inaugural season.
“I’m extremely happy for the girls and extremely happy for the seniors to have a day like this and a match like this,” Botsford said. “It’s so meaningful.”
UCF powered past Iowa State with 49 kills to 39 and a team hitting percentage of .297. The Knights limited the Cyclones to a .174 hitting mark, showing off a balanced attack and a strong presence at the net.
“We’re passing the ball really well, so it allows us to use different options and put players in better positions, rather than just relying on the outside,” Botsford said. “The decision making from the setters was significant and the middles were outstanding.”
Iowa State had 18 attack errors compared to UCF’s 11, giving the Knights a seven-point edge in that category. The Cyclones recorded two service aces and one fewer service error than UCF, partially offsetting the difference at the service line.
The first set was tightly contested, with the score knotted at 4-4 and again at 8-8. A kill from Reagan Thompson finally pushed the Knights ahead at 9-8, and from there, UCF built momentum to take the set 25-20.
In the second set, the Knights found themselves trailing 6-8 before going on a decisive 7-0 run to seize a 13-8 lead. UCF kept the lead for the remainder of the set, closing it out 25-20 and putting themselves in a strong position.
The third set was all UCF, featuring only one tie at 1-1 and no lead changes. The Knights hit .378 with 17 kills, and an Iowa State attack error sealed the sweep, 25-21.
Middle blocker Ella Chapman posted a career-high 10 kills with a .750 hitting percentage, tying outside hitters Avah Armour and Skylar English. Chapman also contributed five blocks, matching middle blocker Sasha Cohen for the team lead.
“We’re starting to find a groove with each other,” Chapman said. “That’s knowing where we like to be on the court, where to place our opponents and what we need to do to win.”
The Knights will hit the road to face Cincinnati on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in Ohio.
