GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Aug. 26, 2006) ? The University of South Florida volleyball team closed out the Aquafina Invitational dropping its final match to Arkansas State, 3-1 (30-25, 24-30, 30-26, 30-25) in Gainesville, Fla., Saturday afternoon.
“I think this was a rude awakening for us that we have to really prepare mentally and physically for every match, and if we're not playing on all six cylinders then we are going to come up short,” coach Claire Lessinger said.
Although the Bulls (0-2) came close in each of the games, Arkansas State had a better offensive outing, hitting .245 to the Bulls' .201. USF came through on the defensive end and out-played the Indians, tallying 62 digs to ASU's 42.
Three USF players tallied double-doubles on the night. Newcomer Marcela Gurgel had a 24-kill, 12-dig outing, leading the team in kills and tying the team-high in digs. Juliana Nogueira put together a 52-assist, 11-dig outing and Ashley Reavis had a 14-kill, 12 dig match.
Gurgel was named to the all-tournament team, as she led the Bulls in kills with 32 and finished second in digs with 18 in the tournament.
After the Indians (1-1) opened up game one with a 5-2 lead, the Bulls rallied to get within one point and then tied the game with a score of 10-10. USF and ASU traded points with the Indians always regaining a one-point lead until the Bulls went on a 4-1 run to take their first lead of the game, 16-14. Both teams played each other close the rest of the game, which featured five ties, but Arkansas State eventually took a three point lead and never relinquished it to take game one, 30-28.
Game two was another close battle for the Indians and the Bulls, as there were 14 ties to open up. It wasn't until the score was 18-18 that the Indians put together consecutive scoring chances and took a three-point lead, 21-18. The Bulls would not go quietly, though, and sparked their offense to go on a 12-4 run to close out the game with a 30-25 victory. USF out-hit Arkansas State .342 to .188 in game two, improving from hitting .161 in the first-game loss.
The Bulls opened up strong in game three, jumping out to a 14-10 lead. USF's offense continued to connect, eventually allowing the Bulls to take a six-point lead, 18-12. Arkansas State answered back scoring six unanswered points to end the Bulls control of the game and take a 19-18 lead. The Indians offense continued to come together, while the Bulls offense struggled and couldn't put together any scoring opportunities to lose game three 30-26.
After game four opened up with both teams vying for the lead and USF eventually taking it, 13-12, the Indians used a 13-3 run to lead by nine, 25-16. The Bulls cut the lead down to three, using a 6-0 run to put the score at 25-22, but could not come any closer and dropped the deciding game, 30-25.
USF will return home to The Corral on Friday and Saturday to host the Best Western Invitational. The Bulls home opener is on Friday at 7 p.m. against Illinois-Chicago.
