Soccer, volleyball seasons postponed until the spring

The UCF soccer and volleyball teams have clearer paths to the NCAA Tournament after the American Athletic Conference announced Tuesday it is postponing all competitions until the spring semester.

The league made the move to align with the NCAA fall championship season, which was recently moved to the spring due to concerns about spreading COVID-19 among college athletes.

“We remain committed to providing our studentathletes a quality experience and competing at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics,” said AAC commissioner Mike Aresco. “We were prepared to conduct competition in the fall in men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball, but moving to the spring was in the best interest of our student-athletes as it will align our schedules to allow our teams to compete for national championships.”

UCF has a history of NCAA Tournament runs in all three sports, making a shift to align with the NCAA’s calendar valuable for the Knights.

Volleyball and men’s soccer both made NCAA Tournament appearances last season, while the UCF women’s soccer team has made 21 tournament appearances.

A decision on cross country competition will be made as soon as the NCAA clarifies how it will stage championships for the sport. It is among the more socially distanced sports, but travel remains a concern for athletes participating in events.

Elsewhere in the state, Florida, Florida State and Miami are still waiting to learn whether their soccer and volleyball teams will be switching to spring competition. The SEC and ACC have not yet announced their plans for the sports.