University of South Florida
Seton Hall*
USF Volleyball Drops Final BIG EAST Match of Season
November 11, 2005 | Women's Volleyball
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. (Nov. 11, 2005) ?The University of South Florida volleyball team dropped its final BIG EAST match of the year, losing to Seton Hall, 3-1 (30-23, 30-23, 23-30, 30-28), Friday night at Walsh Gym in South Orange, N.J.
USF (3-21, 1-13 BIG EAST) didn't get its offense going until late in the match, whereas Seton Hall's (13-16, 3-10 BIG EAST) was consistent throughout, only wavering in game three. The Bulls where out-hit in the match .291 to .242, however USF had the highest hitting percentage in game three, .262 compared to Seton Halls' .167.
Sophomore Michelle Stalbaum led the Bulls' offense, tallying 18 kills. Two other USF players posted double-digit kill matches, as freshman Stephanie Augustavo netted 11 kills and sophomore Kristina Fabris posted 14. In addition, Augustavo hit .333 in the match, Kate Verhoff hit .625 ? leading the team ? and Ashley McDowell hit .500 as the freshmen had solid offensive performances.
“I thought we responded real well, being down 0-2,” USF coach Claire Lessinger said. “And then to have three freshmen ? Stephanie Augustavo hitting .333, Ashley McDowell hitting .500 and Kate hitting .625 ? to show that our youth is maturing. I think that was the positive of the match that we really did respond being down 0-2 and we came out and played relaxed volleyball with confidence.”
Seton Hall opened up game one going on a 4-0 run. The Bulls quickly tied it up and took the lead scoring six unanswered points to put the score at 6-4. Both teams traded points until the Pirates took a one-point advantage, 11-10. USF managed to tie the score up six more times but Seton Hall wouldn't allow the Bulls to take the lead, always scoring when there was a tie. It wasn't until the score was tied at 18-18 that the Pirates' offense took control of the game using a 12-5 run to get the 30-23 win.
USF's offense got off to a slow start in game two, scoring two points to Seton Hall's 10. The Bulls finally got some scoring going, tallying four-straight points to put the score at 10-6. The Pirates' offense would not let down, though, using a 7-4 run to take a 17-11 lead. USF would not go quietly, chipping into the lead by cutting it down to one point, 23-22. After Seton Hall took a timeout, the momentum shifted into the Pirates' corner, as they went on a 7-1 run to close out the game, 30-23.
Game three featured the Bulls taking their first lead to open a game, 5-2. Seton Hall quickly answered back, using a 5-1 run to tie it and then take lead, 7-6. From that point on both teams fought hard, as the game featured 12 ties and seven lead changes. With the score tied at 20 all, USF took command of the game, as its offense overpowered the Pirates by using a 10-3 run to pick up its first win of the match, 30-23. The Bulls' offense surged in their game victory, out-hitting the Pirates .262 to .167.
Game four started out just like the previous sets?both teams fighting for the advantage. With 12 ties to open up the game, neither offense would let down, with one always countering the other. Seton Hall was the first to put together multiple scoring chances, taking the largest advantage of the game, 19-15. USF did not give up, though, answering back by coming within one point, 26-25. USF finally tied the score, 27-27, but the Pirates posted the match win by closing out the game, 30-28.
USF picks up non-conference action when it travels to Brooklyn, N.Y. to face Long Island University on Sunday at 1 p.m.
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