TAMPA - The University of South Florida volleyball team (18-9 overall) is set to face the Knights of Central Florida (11-18 overall) in The Corral for the last regular season match of the 2009 season.
"It's fun to cap the season off at home against one of your biggest in-state rivals," said head coach Claire Lessinger. "The team always looks forward to returning to The Corral."
Last Time Out
The Bulls upset the No. 3 seed Pittsburgh Panthers before falling to the No. 2 seed Cincinnati Bearcats in the BIG EAST Conference tournament.
Senior Pamela Luiz was named to the 2009 BIG EAST All-Tournament Team for her efforts in the conference tournament this weekend, while seniors Marcela Gurgel and Alli Arbogast were tabbed to the All-BIG EAST First Team honors. Junior Allie Boaz was named to the second team.
Gurgel and Luiz each tallied 18 kills to lead the Bulls past Pitt and the BIG EAST Player of the Year, Meagan Dooley, in a 3-1 win in the first round of the BIG EAST tournament.
Offensively, Luiz led the Bulls with a .395 attack percentage, and junior Mariana Thon and senior Brittany Castelamare added 29 and 22 assists, respectively. The Bulls' 55 assists in the match was a season high. Sophomore Janice Rivera had a match-high 18 digs, with Luiz and Gurgel adding 11 each.
Against the Bearcats, Gurgel once again led the Bulls with 11 kills, posting a .227 attack percentage with an ace and two blocks. Boaz added double-digit kills for the second match in a row with 10. Sophomore Janice Rivera led all players defensively with 13 digs for USF.
Scouting UCF
UCF had three players tally double-digit kills in the 3-1 loss against Southern Miss in the C-USA finals, with senior Erin Campbell leading the way with 17 kills. Sophomore Kristin Fisher totaled 16 and freshman Evija Vilde added 11.
Campbell was also one of three players to record double-digit digs against the Golden Eagles with 15, while also posting a career-high five assists, for her 13th double-double of the year. Freshman Meredith Murphy had a match-best 24 digs and junior Kristen Petrasic registered 15.
The Series History with the Knights
The match against UCF will mark the 73rd meeting between the teams. The Bulls defeated the Knights, 3-0, in a matchup at UCF on Sept.15. The Bulls lead the series, 48-24.
UCF Live Chat and Twitter Updates
GoUSFBulls.com will be hosting a live chat during the Bulls' matchup with UCF. Please check out GoUSFBulls.com to join in. USF will also post updates on Twitter during the matches against the Knights under @usfvolleyball.
