|
|
 |
|
|
2
|
3
|
|
|
|
USF
|
|
14
|
21
|
|
|
|
Syracuse
|
|
25
|
25
|
|
|
|
Top Performers |
Player |
|
|
|
|
|
USF - Boaz |
13
|
|
|
|
|
USF - Gurgel |
16
|
|
|
|
|
SYR - Todd |
21 |
.349 |
3 |
1 |
21.5 |
SYR - Morton |
11 |
.304 |
1 |
4 |
14.5 |
|
|
|
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The University of South Florida volleyball team fell to Syracuse, 3-1, Friday after the Bulls won the first set but dropped the next three.
"I thought we did a great job in game one with our gameplan," said head coach Claire Lessinger. "Syracuse made really good adjustments in game two. I thought we did a great job containing their two top hitters but two of their other offensive weapons really brought it to us."
The Bulls (10-6 overall, 3-3 BIG EAST) came out strong, defeating the Orange (17-5 overall, 6-1 BIG EAST) in the first set, 25-19. USF was unable to sustain the momentum, as Syracuse grabbed the next three sets, 25-14, 25-21, 25-20, to drop the Bulls to 3-3 in the BIG EAST.
Senior Marcela Gurgel led the Bulls with 16 kills, followed by Allie Boaz with 13 kills and a .333 hitting percentage. Junior Mariana Thon dished out 31 assists and senior Pamela Luiz led the Bulls with 17 digs.
In the first set, the Bulls outhit the Orange, .206 to .000, to win the first set and take the early 1-0 lead. Boaz led all hitters in the set with five kills and a .625 hitting percentage. Senior Alli Arbogast blocked two Orange attempts of her match total of three to lead all blockers.
After Syracuse won the first point, the Bulls scored four straight points on three Boaz kills. USF maintained the lead from there and Syracuse was forced to call a timeout on a Luiz kill that made it 10-8. Syracuse could not find the court as they came out of the timeout with back-to-back attack errors. With the Bulls up 22-13, the Orange fought back to score five straight points to close the gap, 22-18. The Bulls followed with kills by Gurgel, Arbogast and Luiz to win the set, 25-19.
The Bulls struggled the next three sets as the Orange outplayed USF. Syracuse's Hailey Todd stepped up and knocked down 17 kills in those three sets. Boaz remained hot to start the second set as she downed the first ball to take a 1-0 lead. Freshman Caitlyn Breen knocked down an over by Syracuse to go up by two. The Orange used a 9-0 run at 16-14 to close the match, 25-14.
In the third set, the Bulls trailed the entire set as they fell, 25-21. Gurgel led all players with six kills, but the Orange blocked three Bull attempts. Boaz once again recorded the first Bull point with a kill to cut the lead, 2-1, but USF did not post any rallies to pull the match even.
With the Bulls down 2-1 and needing to win the fourth set to keep the match going, USF forced eight ties to make it 13-13. Gurgel served an ace in the back court to close the gap, 21-18. Syracuse put down three balls to walk away with the win and remain perfect at home, 8-0.
USF finishes its road trip on Sunday, as the team take on Marquette at 3 p.m.