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| USF - Gurgel |
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| USF - Boaz |
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CoC - Sawin
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CoC - Havel
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CHARLESTON, S.C. - The University of South Florida volleyball team fell, 3-2, to the College of Charleston in the first match of the Holiday Inn Charleston Riverview Classic on Friday.
"It's a disappointing loss," said head coach Claire Lessinger. "We just could not put things together consistently. We started to get predictable, and then we got blocked. There were a lot of domino effects going on out there; when things were good they went great, and when it was bad, it turned to worse."
Senior Preseason Player of the Year Marcela Gurgel moved into third place on the all-time USF career kills list with 20 on the night. Redshirt freshman Caitlyn Breen blocked seven Cougar attacks to set a new career high.
After the Bulls (6-3) dropped the first set, 25-20, USF went on to win the next two sets, 25-16, 25-19, but fell short the last two sets, 25-21, 15-7.
College of Charleston (3-7) outhit USF in the first set, .412 to .188. Gurgel led the Bulls with five kills. Junior Allie Boaz earned a .400 hitting percentage with three kills, including the first point of the match.
Gurgel followed with her first kill to take the early 2-0 lead. After the Cougars tied it up at 8-8, the Bulls did not take the lead at any other point in the set.
The Bulls held the Cougars to a -.033 hitting percentage while hitting .364 with 11 kills in the second set. Boaz was perfect in the set, knocking down 3-for-3, while Breen recorded five blocks.
The set remained close when both teams were tied at 9-9. The Bulls went on a 9-1 run before College of Charleston would end the run, making the score 18-11. The Bulls held the Cougars to five more points to take the second set, 25-16.
In the third set, Gurgel slammed down five kills to eventually move into third place on the all-time USF kills list. The Bulls outhit the Cougars for the second set in a row, .269-.107.
College of Charleston registered four attack errors in a row, giving the Bulls an early 6-2 lead. In the middle of the third set, the Bulls were 5-for-5 in kills as they expanded their lead, 21-12. The Bulls won the third set on a kill by Gurgel.
Fighting for its life in the fourth set, College of Charleston defeated the Bulls, 25-21. The Bulls had 10 kills with 10 errors for a .000 hitting percentage. Gurgel led all players in the set with six kills on 20 attempts, but it was not enough to overcome the Cougars' 13 kills and .333 hitting percentage.
With the match tied, 2-2, the Bulls had to win the fifth and last set the claim the victory. The set looked promising as the Bulls won the first three points before a kill by the Cougars' Sarah Havel ended the Bulls' run. College of Charleston scored the next eight points before the teams switched sides on the court. The momentum did not stop the College of Charleston, as the Cougars took the fifth set and the match.
The Bulls conclude the Holiday Inn Charleston Riverview Classic against Lafayette at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
