MILWAUKEE ? The University of South Florida volleyball team had a tough time against longtime conference rival Marquette in a BIG EAST matchup on Sunday afternoon, losing, 3-0 (30-28, 30-19, 32-30), at the Al McGuire Center.
Sophomore Marcela Gurgel led the way all-around for USF, netting a double-double with 13 kills and 12 digs.
On the offensive side, Nakia Williams and Kristina Fabris each chipped in nine and seven kills respectively. Mariana Thon posted a team-high hitting percentage of .500 and Williams came in second with a .467 average.
Defensively, libero Stephanie Augustavo added nine digs and Fabris tallied eight.
The Bulls (10-5, 2-3 BIG EAST) had a tough time getting their offense going from the start and couldn't spark a consistent attack. USF tallied 41 kills to Marquette's 52 and hit .164 to the Golden Eagles .219.
After USF battled back to tie the score, 6-6, in game one, Marquette (6-9, 3-2 BIG EAST) answered by recording four-straight points for a 10-6 lead. The Golden Eagles maintained at least a three point advantage most of the way until USF mounted a late rally and managed to come within one point of the lead seven times. With the score 27-26, Marquette scored two-straight points for a 29-26 lead. The Bulls countered by scoring back-to-back points as well, 29-28, but couldn't get any closer as the Golden Eagles got the win, 30-28.
The Bulls opened up game two taking a 3-1 lead. USF continued its offensive surge and jumped out to its largest lead, 12-8. With the score 14-11 in the Bulls favor, Marquette went on a 12-1 run to take a 23-15 lead. The Bulls couldn't counter with a run of their own and lost the second set, 30-19.
In game three, Marquette opened up with a small lead, 5-3. After USF battled back and took the lead, 6-5, the Golden Eagles scored a quick point to knot the score. The Bulls didn't let the stalemate last long as they went on a 5-1 run for an 11-7 advantage. The Golden Eagles slowly chipped into USF's lead until they went ahead, 18-17, by scoring five consecutive points. The Bulls quickly answered back by scoring three straight points for a 20-18 lead. With the score 26-23 in USF's favor, Marquette rallied and went on a 4-1 run to even the score 27-27. The Bulls shifted the momentum back into their favor and went ahead 29-27, but the Golden Eagles would not let down and jumped ahead 30-29. After USF tied the score 30-30, Marquette scored two-straight points for the 32-20 win.
The Bulls will return home next weekend to continue league play, welcoming West Virginia on Friday at 7 p.m. and Pittsburgh on Sunday at 2 p.m.
