| |
|
|
 |
| |
|
2
|
3
|
|
|
|
|
USF
|
|
24
|
25
|
|
|
|
|
Florida Gulf Coast
|
|
26
|
13
|
|
|
|
| Top Performers |
| Player |
|
|
|
|
|
| USF - Gurgel |
18
|
|
|
|
|
| USF - Arbogast |
10
|
|
|
|
|
| USF - Thon |
0 |
29 |
2 |
9 |
0 |
| USF - Rivera |
0 |
3 |
0 |
13 |
0 |
|
|
|
CORAL GABLES, Fla. - The University of South Florida volleyball team defeated Florida Gulf Coast in four sets, 26-24, 24-26, 25-13, 28-26, to improve to 2-0 on the year. The Bulls remain undefeated in the Hurricane Invitational at the James Knight Complex.
"I was glad to get out of that one with a win," said head coach Claire Lessinger. "We were sporadic and we need to be more consistent. FGCU's defense was impressive - we had to remain patient often."
The Bulls took the early lead by winning the first set, 26-24, but the Eagles came back and won the second set, 26-24, as both teams battled back and forth early on. The Bulls took care of the third set with ease with a 25-13 win, then finished the Eagles off in the fourth set, 28-26.
Senior Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year Marcela Gurgel recorded 18 kills, 14 digs and adding three service aces to lead the Bulls. Senior Alli Arbogast also added double digit kills with 10 and a match-high five blocks. Junior Mariana Thon dished 29 assists in the four-set match.
"Florida Gulf Coast is a really good team," said Gurgel. "It was an intense game and we had to pull it out and dig deep. We have a lot to work on in closing tight games. Overall, I think we are moving in the right direction and these games are preparing us for matches later in the season."
The Bulls took the early lead to begin play, but the Eagles battled with USF the entire first set. Senior transfer Pamela Luiz recorded back-to-back kills to help the Bulls take a 16-10 lead. At 22-19, senior Brittany Castelamare served an ace that forced a FGCU timeout. The Eagles evened up the score at 24-24, but senior Jarka Havlickova attacked a ball that Florida Gulf Coast could not handle, giving the Bulls a 25-24 advantage. An attack error by the Eagles gave USF the 26-24 win and the early 1-0 lead.
After being down early in the second set, the Bulls rallied with an 8-0 run. Gurgel recorded two service aces during her seven-consecutive service points. Unfortunately the Bulls could not finish the second set despite being up 24-21 at one point and fell, 26-24.
The Bulls controlled the third set with ease with a 25-13 win. FGCU evened the score, 6-6, but the Eagles never got within one again, as the Bulls would go on numerous runs throughout the set. USF first went on a 4-0 run for a 10-6 lead. After being up, 19-12, a kill by freshman Caitlyn Breen boosted the Bulls to a 5-0 run to put the set out of reach, 24-12. Gurgel spiked a ball in between Florida Gulf Coast defenders to end the set and give Lessinger's squad the 2-1 lead.
It took 28 points in the fourth set, but the Bulls defeated the Eagles to win the match, 3-1. Once again USF was led by Gurgel, as she put together five kills in the fourth set alone. The Bulls turned it around after being behind the first half of the set. At 17-17, Luiz's kill triggered the Bulls and give them the lead. However, USF quickly fell behind, 21-18. A timeout by Lessinger turned the team around, as the Bulls went on a 3-0 run to even the score at 21. After a couple of attack errors by both teams, Florida Gulf Coast would call a timeout of its own with the score tied, 23-23. The Bulls evened up the score at 26-26 on a kill by Gurgel. Breen and Boaz laid down a block to give the Bulls the crucial 27-26 lead. An attack error by FGCU ended the set, giving the Bulls the win.
"Marcela was productive for us in all areas of the game," said Lessinger. "She gave us the stability we needed to close the match out in four."
USF continues play in the Hurricane Invitational as it takes on Miami tonight at 7:30 p.m.
