With wins over both SMU and Tulsa this weekend, the Knights (9-5, 2-0 AAC) defeated both the Mustangs and Hurricane on the road in the same season for the first time in program history.

鈥淭his marked the end of historic weekend for 麻豆原创 Volleyball,鈥� 麻豆原创 head coach Todd Dagenais said. 鈥淭o go on the road and defeat SMU and Tulsa was huge for us and it marks a milestone for the program.鈥�

Tulsa took an early lead, but the Knights slowly chipped away until a kill from sophomore Kia Bright tied the first set at 18. After trading points, senior Loren Cory gave 麻豆原创 the lead for good and the Knights capitalized with a 25-23 opening set win.

After a back-and-forth battle in the early going, the Hurricane used a six point run late in the second set to even the match at 1-1. The Knights broke up a 19-19 tie in set three with a kill and a block from senior Kaye-Alese Green, who also slammed a hard kill for 麻豆原创鈥檚 set point.

Trailing 12-8 in the fourth set, 麻豆原创 went on a 15-4 run that featured five blocks from the Knights. Two Tulsa timeouts could not stop the Black and Gold鈥檚 momentum and senior Marie Reiterova set up a kill for senior DeLaina Sarden for the set and match victory.

Coach Dagenais noted that the Knights really worked on blocking this week, which showed as 麻豆原创 finished with 12.5 team blocks. Green led 麻豆原创 with seven total blocks, including a pair of solo blocks. Sarden and Cory both finished with five blocks for the Knights.

麻豆原创 started off with a .438 hitting percentage in the opening set and continued the efficiency by hitting above .300 in all four sets. The Knights finished with a .371 hitting percentage as a team.

鈥淭oday it was our offense that allowed us to win the match,鈥� Dagenais said. 鈥淲e had a match where we had to fight, knowing that we weren鈥檛 doing something we鈥檙e capable of doing. We got over that fact and executed the areas that allowed us to win.鈥�

Sophomore Jale Hervey led the Knights with 17 kills while hitting .500 in the match. Green notched 12 kills while hitting .429 on the day. Bright tallied 15 kills for 麻豆原创 while senior Jade Hayes recorded a match-high 19 digs and served up an ace. Junior Dana Faught finished with 28 assists, and Reiterova tallied 26 assists.

Looking for an encore to her AVCA All-American sophomore campaign, Sarden took her game to new heights in 2013. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native set career highs in kills, kills per set, attack percentage, service aces, solo blocks and points. Sarden led The American with a .409 attack percentage and 494 points while ranking fourth in kills per set (3.41) and ninth in blocks (1.05). She was also honored as the league鈥檚 Player of the Week three times.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 a surprise to anyone involved with 麻豆原创 volleyball that DeLaina was a unanimous first-team selection,鈥� Dagenais said. 鈥淗er numbers are on par with athletes being considered for All-American honors. She was a stronghold of our offense all year despite being often double-teamed. The numbers that she put up were absolutely remarkable for the situations she was hitting in. Being the overall leader in points and hitting percentage for this league as a middle is quite remarkable and that makes her worth of additional honors as we get into the awards part of our season.鈥�

Crump finished just behind Sarden with 386 kills. The Atlanta, Ga., native finished her 麻豆原创 career with 1,489 kills, the most in 麻豆原创 history during the rally scoring era. Green led the team with 126 combined blocks and joined Sarden as the only players to start every match this season. Reiterova led The American with 11.39 assists per set and had a career-high 13 double-doubles. Hayes came up with 530 digs in her first season with the Knights, second most in program history for a single season.

鈥淚 think that the other four athletes receiving second-team honors ended up exactly where we thought they should be,鈥� Dagenais continued. 鈥淲hen you have that many players on a second team, that鈥檚 a credit to the balance of your squad. If we featured just one or two players offensively, we鈥檇 have had more first team players, but our philosophy is balance. Balanced teams often find it difficult to put additional players on the first team.鈥�

With their conference awards in hand, the Knights will now look at AVCA national awards. Region awards will be announced Tuesday, Dec. 10 with All-America teams coming Wednesday, Dec. 18.

Green was born in Long Beach, Calif., and lived in several states while growing up. a Psychology major, she plans to graduate in December and then pursue a master鈥檚 degree in Applied Learning and Instruction at 麻豆原创. She eventually wants to attend medical school.

Why did you choose 麻豆原创?

麻豆原创 felt right! I had the privilege of being offered many scholarships to fine universities, but in the end the people at 麻豆原创 made the difference. 麻豆原创 has a phenomenal sciences program, an up-and-coming medical school, a growing athletics department and an honors program which created a small-school environment in the midst of the extraordinary size of the university. 麻豆原创 has everything! Moving to Orlando and coming to 麻豆原创 is one of the best decisions I have ever made!

How has serving on the President鈥檚 Leadership Council helped you?

The council is made up of the most phenomenal students at 麻豆原创; each person has a unique story and vision for the rest of their lives. You are constantly compelled to strive for more. Furthermore, Dr. (Nancy) Marshall and Ana Petkov create an environment that teaches you to be self-confident. The council has allowed me to build many connections with other student leaders on campus and to get to know many of 麻豆原创’s administrators.

What has been your favorite class at 麻豆原创? Why?

Windows to the World with Dr. (Alvin) Wang was so incredibly practical, and it focused on becoming a well-rounded person and discovering what being well rounded meant for each student. The class was approximately 10 students, which allowed for amazing discussions.聽 Dr. Wang encouraged curiosity, openness and individuality.聽 He also brought in other professors from different disciplines to help teach life skills such as interviewing. This class has helped prepare me for graduate school and my professional career.

Who are the most important role models in your life?

Christ is my most important role model. His life and story are the foundations of everything I strive to do. My parents also have served as great examples of what hard work will produce. They are sources of wisdom and demonstrate how to live a life full of generosity and love.

You tried out for USA Volleyball鈥檚 Women鈥檚 National Team this spring. What was that experience like?

The experience was eye opening. I was competing with the best college players in the country and training at facilities that have housed some of the world鈥檚 best athletes! It was such a great opportunity to work with many of the National Team coaches. I hope to go back again this spring.

You and a dozen other student-athletes participated in a special Knights Without Borders trip to Panama this spring. How did the trip to Panama change your life?

Watch a about the trip.

I saw so plainly was what love was. In Panama, orphanages serve as the foster care system, except it is more localized. At these orphanages, seven to 12 children live with an 鈥渁unt鈥� or housemother who is a woman who essentially serves as the children鈥檚 mother. These women were truly my inspiration. In some homes, there were many children with mental disabilities. I saw women who gave day after day for these children and even with all they had to care for, they welcomed neighborhood kids whose parents did not get home until late. Those women are so amazing.

We were also able to experience the culture by staying in local Panamanian hostels. Many of us shared one room, which expedited the bonding process! On the trip we also were able to get to know the culture. We visited the Panama Canal, ate traditional Panamanian food and learned different styles of Latin dances. The trip was an amazing cultural and service experience.

What are the keys to your success in the classroom?

We have a full schedule all year long. It takes careful planning and creating a system that works for your life to be successful. I personally am helpless without my iCal application (linked to all my Apple products) and my Moleskin planner. Also, for me it is so important to remember my goal of becoming a doctor. I constantly remind myself that to achieve my goal of helping children, I have to be successful in the classroom.

If you could play any sport other than volleyball, what would it be?

Track and field is my first love. I started running competitively in the second grade. I cannot describe it, but when you are running fast, there is something surreal about it. You feel as if your are flying. I absolutely love it! Running will forever be my stress reliever.

What are some of your favorite hobbies?

I love to cook! My favorite thing to do is to cook for people I love. When I was younger, I was a Food Network junkie. I used to sit for hours and watch all the different shows and get inspiration for new dishes to try. This makes holidays really special for me because it is a time that my whole family gets together and cooks.

On road trips, how do you and your teammates pass the time?

All of us love to listen to music! It is so funny, but if you were to be a fly on the wall during a trip, we are all either sleeping, doing homework or have our headphones on.