| |
|
|
 |
| |
|
2
|
3
|
|
|
|
|
West Virginia
|
|
18
|
25
|
|
|
|
|
USF
|
|
25
|
23
|
|
|
|
| Top Performers |
| Player |
|
|
|
|
|
| USF - Arbogast |
|
|
|
|
|
| USF - Gurgel |
|
|
|
|
|
|
USF - Luiz
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
USF - Havlickova
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TAMPA - Behind a solid offensive attack, the University of South Florida volleyball team dispatched West Virginia, 3-0, Friday night at The Corral during "Dig Pink" night.
"I thought our team was really focused," said head coach Claire Lessinger. "That is something we worked on this week in practice with our team sports psychologist. Coming out and sustaining a level of confidence and focus, unlike out let up against UConn, was something we wanted to make sure that we did well."
The Bulls (10-4, 3-1 BIG EAST) captured the first set, 25-15, and followed that up with a 25-19 win in the second. West Virginia kept things close late in the third, but USF ultimately came out on top, 25-21. The Bulls attacked at a .390 clip and committed only nine errors on the night, while limiting West Virginia (11-9, 1-4 BIG EAST) to a .190 attack percentage.
Senior Marcela Gurgel led all players with 12 kills and added nine digs, while senior Alli Arbogast, the nation's leader in blocks, posted six more along with 10 kills. Sophomore transfer Janice Rivera added a match-high 18 digs, while junior Mariana Thon and senior Brittany Castelamare each added 19 assists.
The Mountaineers started off strong, building a 4-1 lead after back-to-back Bull errors, but Lessinger's squad would quickly take back the lead on a kill by Arbogast for a 7-5 advantage. Arbogast slammed down a kill to make it 10-6, one of her six in the set, forcing the Mountaineers to call a timeout.
"She (Arbogast) is a focused senior and she knows what she wants out of this year," said Lessinger. "She is coming out and playing like it night-in and night-out."
Senior transfer Pamela Luiz added two of her nine kills on the night in between a block with redshirt freshman Caitlyn Breen that helped push the lead up to seven at 17-10. After another West Virginia timeout, USF maintained the seven-point advantage throughout the rest of the set and used a surprised kill by Castelamare to close it out, 25-15.
The Bulls reversed fortunes in the second set and went up early, 7-3, after kills by Gurgel and senior Jarka Havlickova. The teams would trade points over a 10-serve span before Havlickova and Arbogast posted a block to build a 14-9 advantage.
"Our team knows what our strengths are, and blocking is a goal of theirs," said Lessinger. "We get used to blocking balls, and we take pride in our defense and especially our first line of defense."
After a Mountaineer timeout, USF would go up by eight at 18-10 before Havlickova's kill forced another West Virginia timeout with the Bulls ahead, 21-13. The Mountaineers would rally late, grabbing five of six points before a West Virginia attack error ended the set, 25-19. Rivera added 11 digs in the set.
Thon got things started off with a bang to begin the third, posting two service aces within the first three serves as USF went up by the 3-0 score. Junior Allie Boaz knocked down one of her five kills on the night for a 7-3 lead, and after West Virginia scored the next three points, USF took the next five, including back-to-back service aces by Castelamare. The Mountaineers quickly called a timeout to regroup, but Havlickova and Luiz would later add kills to put the Bulls up, 18-11.
West Virginia would not back down, though, winning five-straight serves of its own that gave Lessinger reason for a timeout. The Mountaineers were unable to put any sort of rally together afterwards, though, as Gurgel posted the last kill on the night for the 25-21 win.
USF returns to its home court Sunday at 2 p.m. when Pittsburgh comes to town.
"Pittsburgh is one heck of a team," said Lessinger. "We need to bring our A game and fire on all six cylinders."
