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| Top Performers |
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| USF - Gurgel |
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| USF - Boaz |
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UCF - Campbell
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UCF - Fisher
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ORLANDO, Fla. - The University of South Florida volleyball team swept the UCF Knights, 3-0, in front of more than 1,600 UCF fans Tuesday night at The Venue.
"I knew we had to stay focused with the environment we would be in," said head coach Claire Lessinger. "It was a good experience to go into someone else's gym and have that kind of crowd against us. Some of the highlights of the night was our sideout offense and sideout percentage."
Junior Allie Boaz led the Bulls (6-2) with 13 kills on a .750 attack percentage. Senior BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year Marcela Gurgel recorded 13 kills in the match to total 1,511 for her career and become the fourth player in USF history to reach the 1,500-kill plateau.
Junior Mariana Thon led the Bulls with 29 assists, sophomore transfer Janice Rivera recorded 14 digs and freshman Caitlyn Breen led all players with three blocks on the night.
"Boaz has the ability to become hot," said Lessinger. "I thought Mari did a great job giving her the ball with one-on-one advantages, and when Boaz is in that situation, she is hard stop."
Although UCF (8-3) recorded two more kills, the Bulls' consistency is what led them to a victory. The Bulls amassed an amazing .560 hitting percentage in the first set with Boaz providing four kills.
The Bulls recorded the first point of the match as Breen perfectly placed the kill to record the first of three of the night. The Knights rallied back to score four straight points before senior transfer Pamela Luiz quieted the packed arena to pull the Bulls to within one.
The set then went back and forth with neither team taking more than a three-point lead. Boaz put down one of her 13 kills of the match to give the Bulls the 23-22 lead. The Knights could not handle the Bulls power as Boaz once again hit past the UCF defenders to give USF the 25-23 first-set win.
The Bulls went down early in the second set, 2-0, before setter Mariana Thon recorded her only kill of the night to cut the lead in half. The Knights went on a 5-0 run before Lessinger called a timeout to settle her team. UCF scored one more point before the Bulls went on a run of their own. Luiz started the 7-0 run with an assist by Brittany Castelamare. UCF head coach Todd Dagenais called a timeout after the Bulls scored five straight, and after two more Bull points, the Knights evened it up at 14-all.
After the Bulls took a 23-21 lead off kills from Boaz and Luiz, UCF used its last timeout of the set. UCF once again fell short, 25-23, as Gurgel closed out the second set with the kill.
"Since the day she stepped foot on campus, Marcela has been a go-to player for us," said Lessinger. "I am very proud of her accomplishments."
After being down for the most of the third set, the Bulls rallied to take the 25-23 win and sweep the match, 3-0. Gurgel stepped up to lead USF with five kills in the set, including the last two for the Bulls to close the match. The teams were tied 13 times in the set.
The match will re-air Wednesday at 3 p.m. on Bright House Sports Network.
The Bulls remain on the road as they head north to the College of Charleston to open Carolina First Arena to volleyball with the Holiday Inn Charleston Riverview Classic this weekend.
