TAMPA, Fla. ? After coming back to tie the match, 2-2, the University of South Florida volleyball team couldn't hang on for the win and lost to BIG EAST foe Cincinnati, 3-2 (30-27, 25-30, 30-17, 28-30, 15-8), on Sunday afternoon at The Corral.
Both teams' offense had their struggles on the day, but Cincinnati (10-4, 2-0 BIG EAST) was more efficient, hitting .218 to USF's .160. The Bearcats also tallied 14 more kills that the Bulls, 71 to 57.
Defensively, the Bulls (8-3, 0-2 BIG EAST) out-worked Cincinnati at the net and had one of their best blocking matches of the season, netting 22.0 to the Bearcats' 13.0.
Two USF players had double-digit kill outings. Marcela Gurgel tallied a team high 20, while senior Kristina Fabris posted 15 and chipped in 18 digs for the double-double.
Alli Arbogast played a huge role for the Bulls in their blocking in the match. The sophomore led USF with 12.0 total blocks ? one solo and 11 block assists ? and tied her previous career high while also tying for fourth all-time in a single match.
After dropping the first game, the Bulls bounced back in the second set. With Cincinnati leading most of the way, USF broke the 22-22 stalemate for the lead thanks to Jarka Havlickova kill. After UC tied it up with a Jessie Nevitt kill, the Bulls used a 7-2 run to close out with the 30-25 win. Both teams offense hit well, but USF was almost flawless with its two errors and a .433 hitting percentage.
With its offense struggling in the third game, USF came out in game four and relied on their blocking while minimizing offensive mistakes. The Bulls tallied 8.0 total blocks and committed seven fewer errors than the Bearcats. The game was close and the Bulls battled the whole way to force a game five.
In the deciding set, both teams played each other close at the start, as the score was tied three times. With the score 8-7 in UC's favor, the Bulls could not keep up with the Bearcats, who went on a 7-1 run to close out for the match victory.
The Bulls will look to get back on the winning track when they hit the road to face Long Island on Friday at 5 p.m. and Rutgers on Sunday at 2 p.m.
