USF 3, Rutgers 1  | Box Score PDF | Live Chat Transcript   1 2 3 4 5 F USF 25 24 25 25 -- 3 Rutgers 22 26 18 18 -- 1  Top Performers  Player Kills Hitting Pct. Blocks Digs Points USF - Gurgel 16 .250 2 2 18.0 USF - Luiz 12 .360 5 5 14.5 USF - Boaz 12 .632 3 3 13.5 USF - Breen 4 .250 7 0 7.5 USF Volleyball Central • Volleyball Main Page | Ticket Information | BullsVision • 2009 Interactive Guide | 2009 Weekly Releases • USF Season Statistics | BIG EAST Conference | NCAA

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The University of South Florida volleyball team (8-3 overall, 1-0 BIG EAST) earned its first BIG EAST win of the 2009 season, as it defeated Rutgers, 3-1. The Scarlet Knights fell to 6-8 on the season and 0-1 in the BIG EAST.

"I have got to hand it out to Rutgers," said head coach Claire Lessinger. "They came at us with full force today and made us work for every point, and we know that this is going to happen every match going forward. We can't relax for any point or downplay any opponent."

The Bulls won the first set, 25-22 before falling in the second set, 26-26. With the score even at one apiece, USF took the next two sets, 25-18 and 25-18.

USF hit over .300 for the sixth time this season as the Bulls hit .362 to Rutgers' .154. Junior Mariana Thon recorded 24 assists as she moved into seventh place on USF's all-time career assist list with 1,972, surpassing Juliana Nogueira. The Bulls led in every category of the match: kills (56), assists (47), digs (38) and blocks (15.0).

"Every year we learn different ways to make our offense better," said Thon. "I have to give credit to Coach Nikki (Shade), who has been a huge help to me and is someone I have learned a lot from. The key is good passes and having  trust from our hitters."

Senior preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year Marcela Gurgel open the first set with five kills to lead the Bulls to a first set win, 25-22. Senior transfer Pamela Luiz recorded four of her 12 kills in the first set in her first BIG EAST match of her career. After the Bulls took a 23-22 lead on a Gurgel kill, Rutgers called a timeout. The short break did not slow down the Bulls as they scored two straight points to take the first set.

"Starting the BIG EAST is what we have worked so hard for in preseason," said Gurgel. "We are excited to start conference play, and it feels good to get off on the right foot."

With the 1-0 lead, Rutgers fought back to even the score, 1-1. The Bulls scored four straight points to take a 11-9 lead. The Scarlet Knights followed with five straight points and retook the lead, 14-11, before Lessinger called a timeout. The momentum did not turn as the Bulls trailed until an attack error by Rutgers evened the score at 23. A timeout by Rutgers retriggered the Scarlet Knight as they took the second set, 26-24.

The Bulls came out on fire as they went on several runs to take the third set, 25-18, and the 2-1 lead. Senior Alli Arbogast returned to the court in the third set after missing two matches due to an elbow injury. She finished the match with four kills and no attack errors and one ace.

"She (Arbogast) is so hungry to be back playing again," said Lessinger. "I saw some opportunities to score some points in the middle and with Arbo being our most consistent offensive middle hitter, she went in and hit errorless today. She gives us a sense of calm out there."

"Now that I am injured, I am being much more focused," said Arbogast. "I have found myself leading in different ways besides scoring points. I have worked on my attitude and other things to make me a better leader that I can control, unlike my elbow which I can't. I am looking at my injury as a positive thing."

After being tied 2-2 early in the third set, USF went on a 4-0 run to take the 6-2 lead. The Bulls took three seven-point leads to dominate the set and defeat Rutgers, 25-18. Boaz once again continued to be the Bulls' most consistent hitter, as she ended the set with back-to-back kills. She finished the match hitting .632.

After being up 2-1, the Bulls needed only one more set to close the match. The Bulls defeated the Scarlet Knights, 25-18, in the fourth set to win the match and their first BIG EAST match of the year. USF recorded three of its season-high 15 blocks in the last set. Redshirt freshman Caitlyn Breen had a match-high seven blocks. Six Bulls recorded two or more kills each to wrap up the set. Sophomore transfer Janice Rivera ended the set with an ace to win the match.

USF will stay on the road for its second BIG EAST match against Seton Hall on Sunday at 1 p.m.