TAMPA, Fla. (Nov. 6, 2005) ?The University of South Florida volleyball team dropped a 3-1 (30-20, 24-30, 30-23, 30-14) match to the No. 7-ranked Louisville Cardinals Sunday afternoon at The Corral.

Despite the loss, the Bulls took game two, 30-24, against their BIG EAST rival, marking the first time this season that USF won a game against a ranked opponent.

“I was really pleased with our players' performance today,” USF coach Claire Lessinger said. “We read a quote in the locker room before the match that said ?It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.' I felt that was really what today was about?going out there and having confidence in what we do on our side of the net and not being scared and having fear what this team is capable of doing.”

Although USF was out-hit in the match .390 to .152, the Bulls managed to spread the ball out and have four players register double-digit kill matches. Leading the offense was sophomore Michelle Stalbaum, who had a team-high 17 kills. Sophomore Kristina Fabris tallied her 11th-career double-double in an 11-kill, 12-dig outing. Freshman Stephanie Augustavo posted her first-career double-double, chipping in 10 kills and 11 digs, and junior Johari Williams added 11 kills.

For Louisville, freshman Rui Liu hit a stellar .733 in the match, converting 15 attacks into 11 kills while not committing an error. Senior Lena Ustymenko led all Cardinal players offensively, netting 23 kills. She also was the only Louisville player to net a double-double, chipping in 12 digs with her 23 kills.

After Louisville jumped out to a 3-1 lead to open up game one, the Bulls answered back, tying it up 3-3. Both teams traded points until USF used a 3-1 run to take an 8-6 lead. Louisville turned its offense on, using a 9-2 run to make the score 15-10. The Cardinals' offense never faltered from that point on, taking the game win, 30-20. Louisville played a solid all-round game, out-hitting the Bulls .379 to .108, while coming up with 18 digs to USF's 11.

USF came out strong in game two and its solid play didn't waver as the Bulls defeated the Cardinals 30-24. After the game started out with five ties and two lead changes, the Bulls took control of the match, using a 7-2 run to take a 13-8 lead. USF never looked back, eventually taking a seven-point lead ? its biggest lead of the game ? to put the score at 24-17. Louisville tried to make a comeback, coming within five points, but the Bulls couldn't be stopped as they fought for every last point to take the win. Stalbaum led the way for USF, hitting a stellar .600 while tallying seven kills.

After suffering the loss in game two, Louisville rebounded to take game three. With the score tied at 3-3, the Bulls saw the Cardinals take a small lead and then build on it, eventually being up by five points, 14-9. The Bulls would not let down, cutting the lead down to two points, however Louisville continued to score when USF came close and took the 30-23 win.

In game four, Louisville's offense couldn't be matched by the Bulls, as the Cardinals took charge of the game early and never let up. Louisville's offense was potent, scoring early and often, as the Bulls never tied up the game once. The closest USF came to the Cardinals' lead was two points, 3-1, before a 16-3 run put the score at 19-5 for Louisville. The Bulls could not overcome the deficit, giving the Cardinals the win, 30-14. In total, the Cardinals hit a game-high .438, while holding the Bulls' offense in the negative, -.054.

The Bulls will hit the road next weekend to face Seton Hall and LIU-Brooklyn on Friday and Sunday.