UCF opens preseason football camp
Knights give back at Puerto Rican event
today under new coach Josh Heupel with plenty of optimism and enthusiasm following a perfect 2017.
What began as a simple recruiting trip in January set in motion the events that would lead to the UCF volleyball team trying to help thousands of people in need.
Every four years, the NCAA allows athletic programs to take an international tour. It’s part vacation and exploration, part training camp. The Knights went to Canada in 2014 for eight matches against the Canadian national team, and coach Todd Dagenais had originally planned for his squad to travel and compete in Europe this time around.
But then came that recruiting trip early this year. Dagenais went to Puerto Rico to see a possible future Knight. What he also saw changed his mind about where he wanted to take his team this summer. He surveyed areas of the island that were still devastated months after Hurricanes Irma and Maria changed the lives of millions of Puerto Ricans. Tens of thousands took refuge in Cen-
“Obviously, it was a huge success ... It was such a nice feeling to know that so many people helped contribute to that to help give back.” UCF sophomore outside hitter Anne-Marie Watson on the team’s clothing drive to help Puerto Ricans affected by last year’s hurricanes
tral Florida. And Dagenais wanted to help in some way.
“I thought what a great opportunity for us as Orlando’s hometown team, with a population with so many Puerto Ricans, especially displaced Puerto Ricans,” he said. “What a great way for us to be able to go down and do a little bit of goodwill.”
In April, about two months before the team was scheduled to leave for island, the Knights started a clothing drive for Puerto Ricans still living there as well as for those now living in Central Florida. The team began by urging UCF students to contribute, but as word spread, people and organizations all across the area joined the philanthropic effort. Dagenais said he would be satisfied if the drive concluded with 15-25 heavy-duty bags of clothes ready to donate.
In the end, there were more than 350 bags filled to the brim.
“Obviously, it was a huge success,” sophomore outside hitter Anne-Marie Watson said. “... It was such a nice feeling to know that so many people helped contribute to that to help give back.”
The Knights departed for Puerto Rico on June 22. Freshman outside hitter McKenna Melville said she expected to see trees still strewn across the island. The true picture was much different.
“For how fast they have recovered, I was like, ‘Holy moly,’ ” she said.
Watson concurred: “It really is beautiful. Considering what had happened there, it’s still gorgeous.”
Although parts of the island are still without electricity and a lot of infrastructure work remains, Dagenais said he was pleasantly surprised with how Puerto Rico is bouncing back.
“It’s way better than what it was in January,” he said. “It’s still a vibrant culture. They’re very optimistic. They are still getting out and doing things. They believe that they have a great future in front of them. But they know that it is going to take a while.
“I think what I saw was resilience and toughness and pride of their country and their heritage. I think that was really inspiring to see that.”
Dagenais hopes to instill some of that resilience and toughness in his young squad. Six freshmen are on his roster. Jordan Pingel is the lone senior, and she spent most of the spring recovering from offseason surgery.
That youth was tested during seven matches — four versus area universities and three against the Puerto Rican national team, which competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics. The Knights came away with a 6-1 record, highlighted by two triumphs over the national team.
“I was just taken [aback],” Melville said about UCF’s 3-0 sweep of the national team on June 28. “Like, ‘Oh, my gosh, we actually can do that. We actually can play up to their level.’ ”
“You could see that we were already close, that we were already being able to work together and that we were already comfortable together and trusting each other,” Watson added. “That’s the biggest thing, besides the skills that we have, is being able to trust each other.”
Melville led the way with 12 kills during that June 28 win, and Dagenais highlighted her as the player who stood out among the crowd during competition. Her UCF introduction has been a whirlwind. The Eagen, Minn., native arrived in Florida only 11 days before the flight to Puerto Rico. That week and a half prior to the trip was crammed with practices, so it wasn’t until the team had a chance to settle down in their hotel rooms or hang out after snorkeling or horseback riding along Luquillo Beach that the Knights got a chance to truly get to know her and the other newcomers.
But it is clear the team didn’t need much time to form a strong bond.
“I think it was a great way to start off my college experience,” Melville said. “... It was such a cool experience to be with our teammates right away in the beginning and be like, ‘Yeah, these are my friends, this is my family for the next four years.’ ”
Dagenais doesn’t know what the immediate future holds for his team. He got a glimpse of the talent it possesses during this trip, but with 11 underclassmen, much is still a mystery as the Knights’ season opener is less than a month away. But the coach hopes that what his players saw in Puerto Rico provides a beneficial, powerful lesson in pushing forward through adversity.
“They were dealt an unbelievably bad hand with two hurricanes going right through the island, yet all they know right now is they are getting better,” Dagenais said of Puerto Ricans. “They are not dwelling on where they are or ‘woe is me.’ They are concentrating on where they’re going and what they can be. I think that is one of the most inspiring things that I’ve ever seen.”