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Look Back at UCF's First National Title - 40 Years Ago in Volleyball

1978 UCF Volleyball Team Celebrating 40th Anniversary This Year

1978 UCF Volleyball Team (Photo: UCF)
1978 UCF Volleyball Team (Photo: UCF)

Amid the celebration surrounding UCF Football's national championship last year, it wasn't the first time a UCF program had climbed the mountaintop.

This year is the 40th anniversary of UCF Volleyball's 1978 AIAW Division III National Championship, which they won over Hawai'i-Hilo on campus at the Education Gym.

And if you thought 13-0 was impressive in football, this team steamrolled its way to a title after going 55-0.

Here's a video feature on the team from when they were inducted into the UCF Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015:

A few years before, I did a two-part feature on them for UCF SportsKnight to commemorate the 30th anniversary of that incredible season, and interviewed their coach, the late Lucy McDaniel:

Coach McDaniel passed away in October of 2013, but her legacy is clear, not just in UCF's commitment to Women's Sports, but across women's college sports in general.

Members of the 1978 UCF Volleyball Team at their UCF Athletics Hall of Fame Induction in 2015 (Photo: Jeff Sharon)
Members of the 1978 UCF Volleyball Team at their UCF Athletics Hall of Fame Induction in 2015 (Photo: Jeff Sharon)

Laura Smith, arguably the team's best player, went on to coach UCF for seven years from 1991-1997, reaching the NCAA Tournament in every single one of those seasons. She is currently the winningest head coach in UCF Volleyball history with a record of 188-74.

But that mark is in trouble this year, as Todd Dagenais is just three wins behind Smith at 185.

UCF Volleyball starts its season with a home exhibition on August 18th.