Horsfall Set New Single Game Record as TU Defeats UCF in Five-Set Thriller

Friday, October 6

Reynolds Center

7:00 pm

Tulsa

8-9, 2-3American

UCF

9-8, 2-3American

UCF

Tulsa

Photo by: Dave Crenshaw

Horsfall Set New Single Game Record as TU Defeats UCF in Five-Set Thriller

10/7/2017 12:02:00 AM | Volleyball

Box Score

Box Score

TULSA, Okla. – Taylor Horsfall set a new Tulsa single-game record with 44 digs. The Golden Hurricane (8-9, 2-3 American) defeated UCF (9-8, 2-3 American) in a five-set thriller, 3-2 (25-18, 22-25, 25-23, 21-25, 15-12), Friday night, in the Donald W. Reynolds Center.

After being down 7-5, the Hurricane was undaunted and took a 10-8 lead. With TU leading 13-12 in the fifth and final set, the combination of Mariah Pardo and Emily Thorson picked up the final two kills, as Tulsa took the set, 15-12.

The first set was back-and-forth until the score was tied at 11-11. Tulsa tallied three unanswered points to take a 14-11 lead. The Hurricane extended its lead to 18-14, before closing out the first set, 25-18. Taylor Horsfall collected five digs in the set to lead the team. Thorson notched six kills for a set high. Lindsey Ledyard provided six assists.

The second set was much like the first, a back-and-forth battle that saw the score tied 20-20. UCF managed to win the second set, 25-22. Callie Cook led TU's offense with six kills. Pardo assisted on six kills, while Ledyard added five. Horsfall picked up a set-high 12 digs.

With the score tied at 23-23, the Golden Hurricane rattled off back-to-back points to win the tightly contested set, 25-23. Horsfall scooped up nine digs, another set high. Pardo accumulated 11 assists. Thorson led the attack with eight kills.

Rachel Moore paced Tulsa with seven kills in the fourth set. Pardo amassed 15 assists, while Horsfall posted double-digit digs with 12. The Knights managed to win the set, 25-21, despite all the big numbers by TU.

The Golden Hurricane took the final set, 15-12. Horsfall collected six digs. Pardo notched all seven of the team's assists in the stanza. Thorson, Cook, Moore, and Emily Hubbard all had two kills.

Kia Bright led UCF with 21 kills. Kristina Fisher led the team with 25 digs and provided 16 kills. Erin Olson had 34 assists. As a team, the Knights had 105 digs, 60 kills and 55 assists.

Both teams produced 10 total blocks.

The stout Golden Hurricane defense held UCF to a team hitting percentage of .136 and collected 104 digs. The team finished with 54 kills and 58 assists.

Horsfall eclipsed former teammate Brooke Berryhill's mark by three, as she reset the record books with a new program record with 44 digs. Pardo shattered a previous career-high mark in assists, 24, as she posted 42 assists. Pardo also tallied her fourth double-double as she added 16 digs. Thorson went for a match-high 22 kills and added 12 digs, for her seventh double-double on the year. Cook, Moore and Hubbard all had double-digit kills, 13, 11 and 10, respectively. Ashton Anderson was a key contributor on defense, as she notched 17 digs.

With the victory, Tulsa improved to 8-9 overall and 2-3 in American Athletic Conference play. The Golden Hurricane returns to action Sunday, Oct. 8, as they host the Bulls of USF. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m.