May 24, 2023. Big 12 Business Summit. Arlington, Texas.

Eric DeSalvo 鈥�09, 麻豆原创 associate athletics director of #content, settles into his seat among the crowd of marketing and sales leadership staff from around the Big 12 Conference as the league鈥檚 commissioner, Brett Yormark, takes the stand for his opening remarks.

鈥淗e starts it off and he goes, 鈥楾hese are the four things that are my pillars: innovation, creativity, disruption and taking risks,鈥欌�� DeSalvo recalls. 鈥淎nd I immediately think, is he talking about himself or 麻豆原创?鈥�

Being 鈥渂old鈥� and 鈥渋nnovative鈥� and 鈥渄isruptive鈥� might just sound like hot buzz words for brands to adopt in 2023. But in 麻豆原创鈥檚 case, it鈥檚 authentic. The Knights actually are all of these adjectives because they鈥檝e had to be.

Without the resources of longer-established universities 鈥� University of Florida was founded in 1853, 麻豆原创 in 1963鈥�

Without a longstanding history of fandom and donor support 鈥� University of Texas鈥� alumni association was organized in 1885. 麻豆原创鈥檚 in 1975鈥�

Without decades of nationally televised games and promotional broadcasts 鈥� Ohio State has hosted ESPN鈥檚 College GameDay a record 22 times, 麻豆原创 once鈥�

麻豆原创 has had to strategically rely on its youth to find ways to break through the noise in a state that boasts three other Power 5 institutions.

Enter: The benefit of big and the power of social media.

Building a Brand

Established in 1963, 麻豆原创鈥檚 meteoric rise to the Big 12 Conference makes it the youngest Power 5 institution in the country.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a modern athletic department. I think it鈥檚 the future of higher education. It鈥檚 the future of college sports,鈥� says Zack Lassiter, vice president of athletics for Abilene Christian University who served as 麻豆原创鈥檚鈥痵enior associate athletic director of external operations from 2012-15.

But it wasn鈥檛 always necessarily this way.

DeSalvo knows 麻豆原创鈥檚 brand arguably better than anyone. The son of 麻豆原创 graduate Joe DeSalvo 鈥�75, he grew up going to 麻豆原创 games in the mid-1990s at the Citrus Bowl and went on to graduate from 麻豆原创 himself. He has worked for the athletic department since 2011 鈥� first in communications before he transitioned to what is now known as the #content department in 2013.

He says in his youth, he would have described 麻豆原创 as having 鈥渁 lot of potential鈥� and 鈥渙n the brink.鈥�

鈥淔or a long time, 麻豆原创 was 鈥淯C-If鈥� 鈥� If we only didn鈥檛 get a phantom holding call against Georgia. If we didn鈥檛 miss the extra point here. And there were so many of those games across all sports that you were like, you鈥檙e right there 鈥斅� if only,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut you saw the potential. You were definitely on the cusp.鈥�

On3 National College Football host Andy Staples, who moved to Central Florida as a middle schooler and graduated from Lake Mary High School, echoes the same sentiments.

鈥淵ou didn鈥檛 think of 麻豆原创 in the same way you would have thought of Miami or Florida State or Florida,鈥� Staples says. 鈥淵ou鈥檇 go to the campus and you didn鈥檛 see a lot of 麻豆原创 gear. It didn鈥檛 feel like a destination-type campus. We went there a lot for science fairs or somebody would be having their graduation at the arena 鈥� it didn鈥檛 feel as much like a place that people say, 鈥業 grow up wanting to go to 麻豆原创,鈥� or 鈥業鈥檝e been a 麻豆原创 fan my whole life.鈥� You just never would expect anybody to say that back in the 鈥�90s. Watching it change over the decades has been pretty amazing.鈥�

鈥� 鈥業鈥檝e been a 麻豆原创 fan my whole life.鈥� You just never would expect anybody to say that back in the 鈥�90s. Watching it change over the decades has been pretty amazing.鈥� 鈥� Andy Staples, On3 National College Football host

When former Athletic Director Todd Stansbury recruited Lassiter to join 麻豆原创鈥檚 athletic department in 2012, the west coast native didn鈥檛 have much familiarity with 麻豆原创.

Lassiter made it a point to ask a lot of questions and listen to campus counterparts, young alumni and students to gain a better understanding of how the university had gotten to where it was so quickly.

鈥淲e were young, but we were big, and so in that sense you could tell that, that was something that we could probably do better than anyone else,鈥� Lassiter says.

Indeed, 麻豆原创鈥檚 enrollment in 2012 just tipped 60,000. Today it鈥檚 more than 68,000. The university confers more than 18,000 degrees annually, and its alumni base clocks in at more than 368,000 鈥� nearly half of which still live in Central Florida.

Perhaps the most important stat is that the average alumni age is 42 years old. So, by the time that Lassiter joined the fold, social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter, founded in 2006) and Instagram (founded in 2010) were starting to really take off in the sports world and 麻豆原创鈥檚 biggest fan base was very active on social media.

It was the perfect combination.

鈥淧erception is reality. And if you feel like you鈥檙e getting hit up by a bunch of 麻豆原创 fans on Twitter, their reality is you are because the numbers are there between our enrollment and alumni,鈥� DeSalvo says. 鈥淥ur fanbase can celebrate the big moments with big numbers. They can pile on to somebody who shows some disrespect. They can win a Twitter poll like no other. By always showing up, they鈥檝e backed up what is on paper.鈥�

So, the department decided to lean into social to stand out. 麻豆原创 Athletics hired a full-time social media manager, Keal Blache 鈥�11, who served a short stint. When he vacated the position in 2013, Lassiter approached DeSalvo about the opening because of DeSalvo鈥檚 penchant for being creative with the social accounts in his role at the time as the communications contact for the volleyball and baseball teams.

鈥淚鈥檒l never forget 鈥� I think I鈥檓 at (former 麻豆原创 basketball player and athletics staff member) Mike O鈥橠onnell鈥檚 wedding. And Todd Stansbury鈥檚 there and he goes, 鈥楬ey you鈥檙e moving over to the social role, right?鈥� I鈥檓 like, 鈥榊eah.鈥� He goes, 鈥楢lright. Push the envelope.鈥� OK. Todd is telling me to push the envelope. I鈥檒l do my best.

鈥淚 can thank Blake Bortles and Storm Johnson and J.J. Worton聽鈥�14 听补苍诲 Terrance Plummer 鈥�21 and that crew for helping me push the envelope because there鈥檚 no greater year one than going to the .鈥�

In the last decade, 麻豆原创 has had three athletic directors 鈥� all of whom DeSalvo says have continued to buy-into the 鈥減ush the envelope鈥� mentality 鈥� four football head coaches and four university presidential leadership transitions. But the same voice on social media, which has benefitted 麻豆原创 immensely.

鈥淚f there is somebody better at what Eric has done and what he has built, I haven鈥檛 met him. And there were a lot of other talented people that were a part of that. But I think what made him so great is he believed it,鈥� Lassiter says. 鈥淗e could do it in a way that could connect, and a lot of our folks loved that it was a 麻豆原创 person doing this. That鈥檚 the authenticity of what social can be at its best 鈥� how do you become yourself in a way that galvanizes and gets people excited? He ran with it in ways that I hope 50 years from now if there鈥檚 a story about who were those individuals that played a part of that, I think Eric deserves a ton of credit for what he did. I think he had a lot of really talented people around him, and he was given kind of the keys to the kingdom so to speak, and we took off.鈥�

Those talented people are who DeSalvo credits for the team’s ability to not only stay relevant but maintain 麻豆原创鈥檚 status as one of the best brands to follow.

鈥淭he staff is key. I can’t have all the ideas. The ideas can come from anyone 鈥� from the AD (athletics director) to the interns, and many have over the years,鈥� DeSalvo says. 鈥淲e also have a work environment to where it鈥檚 loose, but they are well aware of who our brand is. I always say, ‘There鈥檚 no bad ideas.’ I also get to say, ‘We don鈥檛 say no around here a whole bunch.’ If it鈥檚 trending and there鈥檚 a way we can insert 麻豆原创鈥檚 brand into this conversation and it makes sense, let鈥檚 do it.”

The Tweets That Made Us

Nicole Auerbach, The Athletic Senior Writer: Not everyone realized this as early as 麻豆原创, where social media is about fun. It鈥檚 about engaging and having fun, maybe going viral. But it鈥檚 about doing things that are different and not just having no personality. They always had personality, and I think that was immediately embraced by the fan base that was very online and very ready to engage on any topic.

Eric DeSalvo: The tweet was on a whim. I鈥檓 with (former Associate Athletics Director for Strategic Communications) Dan Forcella and I drafted it before the playoff selection show had gotten to it. We were wanting it to be Bama. And it happens, and I hit send. It really put us out there. It鈥檚 my favorite tweet I鈥檝e gotten to send.

Eric DeSalvo: That was designed by (former graphic designer) Channing Curtis. We kept seeing the Elmo version, and I asked him, 鈥淗ey can you just put Knightro in his place?鈥� The first time we ever got to use it 鈥� he made it that day 鈥� we cracked the top 10 in the College Football Playoff rankings.

Andy Staples: I use Knightro gifs pretty frequently. I think Knightro with flames behind him is a very effective way of getting your point across. Those folks are very online. They鈥檙e very savvy. They know how to get our attention in the media, and they know how to keep the discussion going. They will defend 麻豆原创 tooth and nail. They will not let you get away with slandering 麻豆原创 in any way, shape or form. Which I appreciate. And there are other fan bases that are like that. But [麻豆原创] seems to be a little more in on the joke than some of the others. The more established fanbases, you get people who are just mad at you. 麻豆原创 Twitter, they know what they鈥檙e doing. And they know they know what they鈥檙e doing.

Eric DeSalvo: I wasn鈥檛 at that game 鈥� I was at my mother-in-law鈥檚. But the game was on ESPN3. You could actually rewind, thankfully. He catches that ball. I鈥檓 losing my mind.

That was the No. 1 Vine for us for a long time. That one was getting so much national play.

That鈥檚 up there because it was so iconic.

DeSalvo: I joke that my iPhone that shot Danny White saying 鈥渘ational champs, undefeated鈥� should go to the (麻豆原创 Athletics) Hall of Fame.

Nobody knew Danny was going to say that. We had a plan in place where we would continue to challenge the CFP. That鈥檚 what we were doing and needed to do for our team. (Senior Executive Associate Athletics Director of Brand Advancement and Chief Branding Officer) Jimmy Skiles took precedent from when he saw the year聽Auburn wasn鈥檛聽in the national championship game and were undefeated 鈥� they had national championship rings made for their team. It was on the front cover of Sports Illustrated. And he remembered it. If they could do that back then, why can鈥檛 we?

So, we crafted messaging for like “undefeated champions.” We didn鈥檛 straight up say national champions. (Former graphic designer) Chris Stoney made some motion graphics, “13-0. Only undefeated team, who鈥檚 next?”

We knew if we didn鈥檛 do anything by the time our game ended and the playoff game started that day, we would be kind of irrelevant in the grand scheme of games. It would be a nice win and move on.

People should know Danny looking into my phone wasn鈥檛 anything new. I kind of conditioned him to do that, especially at road wins. I would go live at Facebook right as the clock would hit zero to take fans behind the scenes. A lot of the time we鈥檇 be walking by Danny as we went to the locker room. So, it wasn鈥檛 anything new for him to see my phone get shoved in his face.

He just quickly says those magic words. Oh boy. Here we go.

Andy Staples: Don鈥檛 run afoul of 麻豆原创 Twitter. That鈥檚 all I got to say. This is a very passionate, very aggressive online fan base. Which listen that will fit right in (the Big 12). The good thing about 麻豆原创 is that passion will match with Kansas State and Oklahoma State and Iowa State 鈥� they are extraordinarily passionate people. They really love their teams. These are groups that will really appreciate one another.

Charging On

As social media has served as one of the tools to help define 麻豆原创鈥檚 brand over the years, one constant has been the Knights鈥� ability to rise up, to band together, to believe in its potential 鈥� to Charge On.

As a rallying cry, Charge On was introduced during the Stansbury and Lassiter era.

“It wasn鈥檛 as though there was one calling card that really captured the energy or the belief of a 麻豆原创 fan 鈥� like 鈥楪o Knights!鈥� was something to where, well how many other Knights are there in college athletics?” Lassiter says. “And I remember thinking that in social media hashtags were really important. What is that we can do?”

鈥淥bviously a decade later it鈥檚 become something that I feel is the perfect, simple way to describe who 麻豆原创 is.鈥� 鈥� Zack Lassiter, 麻豆原创鈥檚鈥痵enior associate athletic director of external operations from 2012-15.

And then Charge On surfaced. Lassiter recalls the idea came from an alum, who suggested it because the phrase is part of the lyrics in 麻豆原创鈥檚 fight song.

鈥淲hen the idea was proposed, it seemed to make too much sense,鈥� Lassiter says. 鈥淭his describes who we are. There鈥檚 a great history behind it. It鈥檚 incredibly nimble and flexible in how you can apply it certain ways.鈥�

So, Lassiter conducted an experiment. He walked around 麻豆原创 Athletics鈥� main administration buildings and starting using the term without explanation to elicit genuine reactions from the staffers.

鈥淣obody could figure out a way to say why that wouldn鈥檛 work,鈥� he says. 鈥淥bviously a decade later it鈥檚 become something that I feel is the perfect, simple way to describe who 麻豆原创 is.鈥�

There is still so much of 麻豆原创鈥檚 story to be written. More traditions to carve out. More pushing the envelope unapologetically.

And what makes DeSalvo and the rest of the gatekeepers of the brand excited about the next chapter is the union with the renegades of the Big 12.

鈥淲e鈥檙e finally in a league that is exactly where we should be 鈥� its identity is completely us,鈥� DeSalvo says. 鈥淣ot only do we get to do this stuff here and try to do it as big as possible, now we have the backing of a Power 5 league that is going to help just throw gasoline on the fire and get it out there further.”

“I could not be more proud of this group of women and group of coaches,”says head coach Todd Dagenais.”The last 13 months have been beyond comprehension in terms of putting it into words… The mental and emotional toll that it takes… And yet, as we watch teams all across the country crack or fail, we never did.”

With the win, the Knights finish the regular season with an undefeated record in conference play, a feat that has not been accomplished since 2018 when 麻豆原创 went a perfect, 18-0 against AAC competition. In 2019, 麻豆原创 rode the momentum of its home fans and stormed to a five-set victory over No. 1 seed Cincinnati to claim the .

The Knights posted a perfect, 8-0 record against American opponents in 2020-21, outscoring them 24-1 along the way. 麻豆原创 has won 49 of its last 51 matches in The American dating back to 2017.

The Knights again made quick work of the Bulls in the contest, opening set one with a 25-23 win before taking set two by a nine-point margin and finishing the match off with a 25-22 victory.

Coach Dagenais and Associate Head Coach Jenny Maurer spread the offensive production around about as evenly as possible as six different Knights posted over five kills and none posted more than nine.

Leading the way, finished with a team-high nine kills, hitting .412 along the way and chiming in with three block assists.

continued on her career season as the senior middle blocker turned in a six-block performance and also knocked down six kills while hitting at a team-high .750 clip.

Following the weekend sweep over South Florida, 麻豆原创 will now turn it’s attention to the postseason as the Knights will head to Cincinnati, Ohio to play in the second annual American Athletic Conference Championship Tournament. 麻豆原创 will play Tulane in the semifinal game on Friday, April 2 at 2:00 p.m. The Knights faced The Green Wave at home earlier this season, defeating them twice, both 3-1.

With the victory, 麻豆原创 secured the automatic bid representing The American into the NCAA Championship. The Knights will make their 10th appearance all-time in the NCAA tournament.

“I am so happy and so proud of these athletes who have worked so hard.” – 麻豆原创 Volleyball Head Coach Todd Dagenais.

“I am so happy and so proud of these athletes who have worked so hard,” says 麻豆原创 Volleyball Head Coach Todd Dagenais. “There was a lot of pressure put on us 鈥� but I also knew Cincinnati was probably the team to beat this year. They are a tremendous team.”

Unanimous all-conference first-team selection聽聽powered the Knights with 27 kills and 12 digs, adding in four blocks. Melville finished the tournament with 59 kills, 37 digs and seven blocks to earn championship Most Outstanding Player honors. All-conference first-team choice聽聽kicked in 11 kills, a .375 hitting percentage and nine blocks in the title match to join fellow all-conference first-teamer聽聽(12 kills, 13 digs) on the American Athletic Conference Championship All-Tournament Team.

The conference title garnered 麻豆原创 an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Knights’ seeding, dates and location of play is all yet to be determined. The NCAA selection show will air on Sunday, Dec. 1 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.

First Set

The Bearcats struck first in the contest, but back-to-back rejections from the Knights gave them the early, 2-1 lead. 麻豆原创 held onto its advantage later into their set as an聽聽service ace extended the lead to 12-9, but a five-point Bearcats run would put them up, 15-13 at the media timeout. As the Knights fought back, A聽聽kill cut the deficit to 21-19 and Cincinnati would call their first timeout. The Bearcats would recoup after the stoppage as they would go on to win the first set, 25-21.

Second Set

麻豆原创 started off in control of the second set, going up 11-7 to force an early Cincinnati timeout. When play resumed, the Knights kept their momentum, outscoring the Bearcats, 3-1 over the next four rallies to bring the 麻豆原创 lead to 14-8. 麻豆原创 would only grow their lead as a聽聽kill put them up 19-11, and another Cincinnati timeout was called. The Black and Gold would keep the pressure on as they went on to with the second set, 25-16.

Third Set

The Bearcats seemed to be in control for much of the third set, leading by as many as six points at 18-12 before the Knights called for time. 麻豆原创 closed within two at 18-16 before the Bearcats ran ahead to set point at 24-18. The Knights answered with an outstanding comeback, utilizing three blocks and a pair of Cincinnati errors to sweep the final eight points for the improbable, 26-24 set victory.

Fourth Set

It was another classic of a set in the fourth, with the neither squad separating themselves by more than two points. Keeping with the same no-quit mentality they had in the third set, 麻豆原创 fought off set point twice to square things at 24-all, but back-to-back Cincinnati kills provided the 26-24 winning margin to send the matchup to the fifth and deciding set.

Fifth Set

The final set began in similar fashion to the rest of the match, with the two teams’ neck-and-neck. Jordan Thompson missed an attack out of bounds to give the Knights the 7-6 lead and 麻豆原创 broke an 8-8 tie after a block assist and kill, extending their lead as high as 13-8 on the 6-0 run. A kill by the Knights on match point gave 麻豆原创 its third overall American championship with a 15-10 victory.

Continue to follow 麻豆原创 Volleyball on social media on , 听补苍诲 Instagram for the latest on the 麻豆原创 volleyball season.

麻豆原创 will face Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday in The Venue. In the other side of the bracket, Florida will face Florida State. The winners of the two matches will meet at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Tickets for all matches can be purchased online.

The Knights are in the midst of a historic season. The Black and Gold enters the postseason riding a 24-match winning streak and a 27-3 record overall. The champion of the American Athletic Conference, 麻豆原创 went a perfect 18-0 to clinch the league title, becoming just the third team to go undefeated in the league鈥檚 history.

Last month, the Knights moved into the American Volleyball Coaches Association Coaches Poll for the first time in program history, moving up to No. 21 nationally two weeks ago.

麻豆原创 has exceeded expectations all year long. Picked to finish fifth in The American, and consistently featuring a starting lineup with six underclassmen, the Knights have one of the most balanced programs in the nation. The Black and Gold led The American in assists, kills and blocks.

Freshman outside hitter McKenna Melville has been a force to be reckoned with this season, as the rookie ranks 15th and 16th in the nation in kills and points per set. Fellow rookie Kathryn Wesolich is closing in on the single-season block assists record, and lone senior Jordan Pingel, who has already smashed the program鈥檚 career digs record, needs just two saves to break the single-season record.

I love movie lines. So many epic motivational themes about overcoming obstacles come from movies like 鈥淏raveheart,鈥� 鈥淩ocky鈥� and 鈥淩emember the Titans.鈥�

Admittedly my opening quote doesn鈥檛 come from any one of these award-winning cinematic masterpieces. It comes from the much-less-appreciated classic 鈥淒umb and Dumber.鈥� Yet 鈥渁 chance鈥� has become a seven-year running theme for our 麻豆原创 Volleyball program.

Nearly eight years ago I walked into a room of about 10 young women who just lost their coach and suffered through two humiliating seasons in which their conference record was 1-31. I was their new coach, and I was expected to make them a nationally competitive team. I knew that 麻豆原创 was a great school, in a great location, and the athletic department had the full support of the university to be nationally competitive in all sports.

Therefore, I knew 麻豆原创 Volleyball had 鈥渁 chance.鈥�

Sure, this was going to be the greatest challenge in my career. As a matter of fact, as far as we could tell, no team has ever become a conference champion in women鈥檚 volleyball in the years after suffering through a season with zero wins. Combined with the fact that all current and future team members would come from the often criticized 鈥渋Y鈥� Generation made 鈥� those younger Millennials born after 1990 鈥� the challenge was聽even greater.聽

Would I be able to find enough players who didn鈥檛 feel 鈥渆ntitled鈥� or demand 鈥済uaranteed鈥� playing time? Even if I did, would they have the athletic ability, talent and dedication necessary to do something that has never been done before?

Standing in that room, in front of those players, I made only one 鈥済uarantee.鈥� If they commit to being the best teammate they have ever been, if they are willing to work physically harder than they ever worked before, and if they commit to being the best possible students they can be, then I would guarantee them one thing:聽a chance.

The first team worked more than 1,000 hours in the gym, on the track, in the weight room, classroom, and tutoring sessions. They did everything I asked them to, and it gave them their chance. They won six conference matches, the most since moving to a more competitive conference. Most importantly, they planted the seed that would grow for the next six seasons.

Over the next five seasons every recruit heard the same speech.聽It went something this this:

鈥淚 make no guarantees. If you’re willing to do everything that I ask you to do, then you will be rewarded with ‘a chance.’ That chance is to be a member of my team.聽If you are willing to train hard, make smart decisions, and earn good grades, then you may earn a chance to play. While playing, if you are able to perform well, handle the constant pressure, and manage performance anxiety then you may earn a chance to start. If I could get enough like-minded starters who share the same goals, then we would have a chance to win.”

The 2008 team planted the seed, the 2009-2013 teams watered the seed, grew the plants, and protected them from the weeds. They were faithful to our core beliefs, ideals, and vision. They made lifelong friends, earned a wonderful education, traveled the country, but they never felt the satisfaction of being a champion. Those six teams were merely setting the table for the 2014 team to seize the ultimate chance.

The core group of the 2014 麻豆原创 Women’s Volleyball team has been in place for nearly four years. In those years they practiced 22 weeks a year for 20 hours a week. They were also full-time students with extremely high academic expectations. The amount of hours that they have invested in the classroom, on the court, in the weight room, and in the athletic training room, numbered in the thousands. Yet, those hours guaranteed them nothing more than a chance.

However, we knew that with six seniors on our roster, this was the golden opportunity to make a major breakthrough if we prepared the right way.

We needed to do something special to prepare this team for the start of the 2014 season in August. In May, our team raised nearly $40,000 and we took a team training trip to Winnipeg, Canada. While in Winnipeg we lived together, ate together, and trained against the Canadian national team every single day for a week.

Despite all of the money raised, all the training time, and a week鈥檚 worth of competition against the Canadians, we were never guaranteed a successful fall season. It only gave us 鈥渁 chance.鈥�

After we returned from Canada the players took a few weeks off and then reported back to campus to begin a summer term. Not just one or two players were there, but the entire team. Lifting and running in the grueling Florida heat and humidity can be relentless and demanding, but they suffered through it together. Still, all those hours on the track, and all those hours in the weight room, didn’t promise us anything definite.

Our team reported to practice in early August with high hopes and great expectations. The coaching staff made a decision to play the toughest pre-season schedule possible to prepare us for the American Athletic Conference season.

As fate would have it, the first weekend of conference matches were on the road against SMU and Tulsa. Both teams were picked to finish in the top three in the American Athletic Conference. Somehow, we found a way to earn close wins both matches and started the conference season 2-0. This fantastic weekend may have given us the early lead in the conference standings, but we were far from a conference championship.聽 Those two wins, however, did give us a jump-start.

Over the next eight weeks, our players went through the most intense practices and volleyball matches they have had in their lives. Each coaching staff member was working 80-100 hours per week watching film, creating scouting reports, and preparing the team to compete successfully.

Finally, on Nov. 23, we were standing face to face with 鈥渢he chance.鈥澛� Seven years of work, thousands of hours of training, relentless belief that we would be in that position one day to do something special.聽 That was the day, the day we had 鈥渢he chance.鈥�

With four matches remaining in the regular season we had a two-match lead in the conference standings.聽 A win against Houston meant that 麻豆原创 Volleyball would defy history and officially go from 鈥渨orst to first鈥� in the conference. The match started at 7 p.m., and as you can see in the picture above at 8:46 p.m. we finally seized 鈥渙ur chance.鈥� We finished the season at 25-7 and earned a spot in the NCAA tournament.聽

What you won鈥檛 see in the photo is the 55 players, six coaches and several managers and staffers who unselfishly gave everything they had from 2008 to 2013 just so the 2014 team could finally wear the championship ring.

Those people never asked for guarantees. They just wanted to make sure at some time, in some place, somebody who had walked in their shoes would have that 鈥渃hance.鈥� We dedicate this conference championship to all of those people.

Todd Dagenais is 麻豆原创鈥檚 head volleyball coach. He can be reached at tdagenais@athletics.ucf.edu.

“We played an incredibly efficient offensive match,” 麻豆原创 head coach Todd Dagenais said “Sunday road wins are hard to come by. The team is excited about what we’ve done so far. I’m feel like we deserve to be where we are at this point.”

After trading points to open the match, 麻豆原创 broke up a 6-6 tie with a kill from sophomore Kia Bright and took an 8-6 lead on a service ace from sophomore Shelby Foyer. Senior Jade Hayes served up an ace to give the Knights a 10-7 lead and prompt a Cincinnati timeout. The Bearcats came back to tie the set at 16, but a 5-0 麻豆原创 run that included kills from seniors Kaye-Alese Green and and junior Abbie Fleener extended the Knights’ lead to five, 21-16. The Black and Gold closed out the opening set with back-to-back blocks from Bright and Sarden to win the first set, 25-18.

The Knights opened the second set with three straight points. A Sarden kill pushed the 麻豆原创 lead out to 15-9, which Bright followed with an ace to give the Knights a 16-9 lead. The Bearcats battled back, matching the Knights kill for kill to cut the lead to three, 24-21, in favor of 麻豆原创. Cincinnati’s Madi Lang tied the set at 25, forcing the set into extra points. Green’s kill was answered with a kill from Emma Roberson to tie the set at 27, but Bright came up with a kill that gave the Knights a 28-27 lead. Bright teamed up with Sarden for a block that gave 麻豆原创 the 29-27 set win and a two-set lead in the match.

In the third set, Sarden gave the Knights a 2-0 lead before Cincinnati came back to knot the score at 4-4. A kill by Green put 麻豆原创 up 11-7 and forced a timeout for the Bearcats, but the Knights kept the momentum out of the huddle with a block from Green and Fleener. After giving the Knights a 16-11 lead with a kill, Sarden went back to serve, putting together a string of three points to push the 麻豆原创 lead to 19-11. Bright slammed consecutive kills, which were followed by back-to-back Cincinnati attack errors that gave 麻豆原创 the 25-15 set win and the straight set victory over the Bearcats.

“There are still some things that we need to work out,” Dagenais said. “This wasn’t a great all-around match. We were able to buckle down when we needed to. Where we are as a team–mentally, the effort, the energy, the perseverance–is everything I could ever ask for as a coach.”

DeLaina Sarden finished with 16 kills on 19 swings. Her .789 hitting percentage is the sixth-best percentage in a match in 麻豆原创 history. Sarden also had five blocks and three digs.

“DeLaina found ways to get herself into gaps and the setters found ways to get her the ball,” Dagenais said. “This could be the best offensive match I’ve seen her have; she was outstanding in her decision making. I think she put up national player of the week numbers.”

Kia Bright joined Sarden with double-figure kills, finishing with 13 while hitting .440 and recording five blocks. Senior Marie Reiterova posted her second straight double-double match, recording 24 assists and 10 digs. Jade Hayes posted a match-high 11 digs for the Knights, and junior Dana Faught tallied 20 assists for 麻豆原创.

“DeLaina did a great job with the matchups she was given this week,” 麻豆原创 head coach Todd Dagenais said. “She continues to be such a versatile part of our offense despite the fact that teams are game planning for her each and every week.”

Sarden hit a team-best .656 for the week and averaged 3.29 kills per set to lead the Knights to a pair of conference road wins. She finished with 15 kills, while hitting a season-high .650 in the win over in-state rival USF on Wednesday. In Sunday’s sweep of East Carolina, Sarden continued her offensive efficiency, hitting .667 with eight kills and no errors in 12 attempts. 麻豆原创 set an American Athletic Conference record for hitting percentage in a conference match, posting a .444 team hitting percentage.

She also served up back-to-back aces in a four-point run at the end of the second set against the Pirates, bringing her total to four aces for the week. For the week, she denied a team-best eight shots, averaging 1.14 blocks per set for the Knights, and led the team with 31.5 total points.

The Lawrenceville, Ga., native has been recognized four times as the American Player of the Week, earning the distinction three times in 2013. Sarden became the third Knight tabbed with the accolade this season, as sophomore Jale Hervey earned the first honor of the season and Kia Bright picked up the award last week.

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.

鈥淚鈥檓 proud of the team for going 4-0 and not dropping a set along the way,鈥� 麻豆原创 head coach Todd Dagenais said. 鈥淚 thought we were remarkable at closing out sets all weekend.鈥�

FIU was not going to hand the title to 麻豆原创, as the Panthers jumped out to an early 10-5 lead but a 6-1 run from the Knights put 麻豆原创 on top. The Knights took the lead for good on a block from seniors Kaye-Alese Green and Ashley Gialenios. Once 麻豆原创 took the lead in the second set, they maintained it and persevered in the final set to become tournament champions.

麻豆原创 had four all-tournament selections, as senior middle blocker DeLaina Sarden, senior libero Jade Hayes, sophomore outside hitter Kia Bright and sophomore outside hitter Jale Hervey received the accolades.

Hervey led the Knights against FIU with 14 kills, while hitting .565 and serving up a team-high five aces. Hervey took home the tournament MVP honors, as she finished the weekend with 60 kills, 24 digs, and seven digs while hitting .481.

Bright added 12 kills and finished the match with eight digs. Hayes tallied double-digit digs for the fourth time this season, finishing with 13. Senior Marie Reiterova and junior Dana Faught had 17 and 15 assists, respectively.

惭辞谤别:听

As a parent myself, I get it. You should be your kid’s biggest supporter. But for parents of high school athletes, in particular, it’s important to maintain perspective. Don’t lose sleep worrying about catering to every need of your athletic child. Don’t spend insane amounts of money trying to get your child noticed by college sport recruiters, and please don’t relentlessly chase that athletic scholarship.

Does it shock you this advice is coming from a Division I collegiate head coach?

With a Division I scholarship worth upwards of $250,000, the race to earn a scholarship can be quite intense. In reality, it鈥檚 starting to get out of control. Private lessons, video-production companies and recruiting services have become such an unnecessary part of high school sports. Let鈥檚 examine some of the facts.

Just how many scholarships are given each year, and what percentage of graduating high school players actually earn a Division I scholarship?

In women鈥檚 volleyball, for example, roughly 100,000 young players graduate from high school each year. Each of them is technically part of the college recruiting pool. All coaches have a very specific list of athletic requirements their prospects must meet, without any exception. If they don鈥檛 meet the athletic requirements, they don鈥檛 make the list. For my volleyball program at 麻豆原创, 100,000 prospects quickly dwindles to a recruiting pool of 1,500.

Now begins the toughest part of the process. College coaches begin to evaluate prospects on two of the most important requirements: academic ability and character.

The sport of women鈥檚 volleyball is quite fortunate. For the most part, young women playing our sport range between above average to elite in their academic profile. There have only been a couple of occasions in my seven years at 麻豆原创 when we were forced to eliminate a prospect due to a poor academic resume. Our team currently carries a 3.4 GPA, has a 100 percent graduation rate, and we are in the top 10 percent nationally in term of academic progress. Anyone who isn鈥檛 capable of maintaining my academic standards is off my list — again, with no exceptions.

It鈥檚 an incredible challenge to determine character and work ethic. We can decide in five minutes if someone has the athletic ability to play in our program, but sometimes it takes us more than a year to determine if they have the 鈥渃haracter鈥� to be a part of our program.

We spend time watching prospects at high school and club matches. We talk to their teachers and guidance counselors. We watch how they interact with their coaches, teammates and parents. A prospect’s true character is always revealed in moments of failure and stress.

Playing sports provides plenty of opportunities for both.

Corporate human resources and collegiate athletics recruiting are ironically similar. We seek out talented people, interview them, compare them to other candidates, and ultimately select the right person for the position. It鈥檚 extremely important that prospects understand they also are being judged by what they put on their Facebook page, and what they write and retweet on their Twitter account. One lapse in judgment could cost them $250,000. It鈥檚 already happened many, many times.

Our recruiting list that started at 100,000 and was cut to 1,500 based on athletic talents, now sits at 500 after we determine if the students are the right 鈥渇it鈥� for our program. So how many of those 500 prospects will get a scholarship offer from 麻豆原创? Three. That鈥檚 right鈥hree.

NCAA Women鈥檚 Volleyball allows 12 scholarships on a team per year, which equates to three in each graduating class. The odds are not very good, are they?

Even if we look at the national landscape, the odds don鈥檛 improve very much. There are 900-950 Division I scholarships awarded annually. Take into account the original 100,000 prospects, and then the true odds become painfully clear. Less than 1 percent of high school senior volleyball players are going to get a Division I scholarship. Add in Division II, Division III, NAIA, and Junior College combined, and less than 3 percent will be awarded a scholarship.

So my advice to parents of a high school athlete: Enjoy these years. Keep everything in perspective. An athletic scholarship shouldn’t be the goal; the goal should be all of the wonderful life lessons 鈥� achievement, defeat, teamwork 鈥� that sports can teach us.

Quit paying for private lessons and expensive club sports for the sole purpose of earning an athletic scholarship. Private lessons are for improving performance at something you love to do. Sports should be about enjoying the competition and spending time with friends who have similar interests. All that time and energy you are spending on being noticed by a college recruiter is better spent concentrating on academics.

Use that time to determine what skills your child is proficient in and what they are passionate about. As I tell my players: “Your career has an address, and it鈥檚 located at the intersection of proficiency and passion.”

Your child’s involvement in sports should be about determining what they love, what they’re good at, what they can learn, and how they can apply these lessons to real life.聽

Todd Dagenais is 麻豆原创鈥檚 head volleyball coach. He can be reached at tdagenais@athletics.ucf.edu.