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Scoreboard
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Team
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Set 1
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Set 2
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Set 3
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Set 4
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Set 5
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Final
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| Villanova |
25 |
20 |
25 |
25 |
- |
3 |
| USF |
20 |
25 |
19 |
21 |
- |
0 |
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TAMPA - A balanced attack from the University of South Florida offense wasn't enough to push the Bulls past the Wildcats of Villanova University Sunday afternoon as USF fell, 3-1, in volleyball action at The Corral, where the Wildcats spoiled Senior Day with scores of 25-20, 18-25, 25-19 and 25-21.
Three USF student-athletes put up double-digits in kills to combine for 32 of the Bulls' 48 kills. J'beria Davis and Erika DeVaughn each had 11 kills, while Allie Boaz, who played in her final home match as a USF Bull, collected 10 to round out the Bulls' offensive attack.
Caitlyn Breen and Andrea Rodriguez Gomez were also heavy contributors on offense for USF with each of them hitting above .400. Rodriguez Gomez hit a .429 on the day, while Breen notched a .412 clip.
On the defensive end, the return of Janice Rivera added fight to the Bulls' defense as Rivera led the efforts with 16 digs, followed by Mariana Thon with 11. Thon, who joined Boaz and Christine Knoechel prior to the match in the Senior Day festivities, played in her final home match as a USF Bull and left her mark with 43 assists in the mix to set up the Bulls' successful offensive attack.
Adding to the Bulls' powerful defense was their play on the net as they totaled six blocks on the day with Rodriguez Gomez leading the way with three assisted and a solo, while Davis, DeVaughn and Breen added two assisted blocks apiece. USF out-blocked the visitors, 6.0-3.0.
As a team, the Bulls hit .272 with 48 kills and 14 errors, while the defense forced 16 Villanova errors as the Wildcats notched 58 kills on a .302 night. They were led by Maggie Mergen and Allison Williams with 21 and 12 kills, respectively, while Alyssa Anderson set up the offense with a match-high 51 dishes.
The first set was controlled solely by the visiting Wildcats as the set saw just one lead change. Villanova took the lead at the 2-1 mark and never looked back as they used a powerful .462 attack to claim the first set, 25-20. USF hit .259, but its defense couldn't stop the speed and strength of the Wildcats' outside.
USF bounced back in set two and looked like a much more poised Bulls team as they put the first set loss behind them. The Bulls' defense picked up the pace as they held the Wildcats to a .071 performance. A powerful 10-kill outing and a striking .258 would help the Bulls tie the match at one set apiece as the Bulls put on one of their best performances as of late with a 25-18 win going into the break.
Set three was much like the first stanza as the Wildcats came out of the break with a little bit more fire and determination as they hit .429 with just two errors and 17 kills. The set saw four tie scores, but just one lead change as the Bulls struggled to jump ahead, but they never gave up as they managed to stay within one point for the majority of the set until an 8-2 run would put Villanova up, 17-11.
The fourth set was a head-to-head battle as the Bulls jumped out to a quick 3-1 lead. USF was in control until a kill by Mergen would give the Wildcats a 7-6 lead and the final lead change of the set. The Bulls kept it close, getting within one on numerous occasions, including a rally from five points down, where USF went on a 7-3 run to get within one at the 21-20 mark.
Back-to-back kills would give Villanova a two-point advantage, just two points away from taking the match. USF fought back as Rodriguez Gomez found the right spot and planted the ball down for a kill, cutting the deficit to 23-21. However, the Wildcats grabbed the next two points to take the set, 25-21.
USF, who advances to the BIG EAST Championships due to both West Virginia and St. John's falling in their final conference matches of the season, finishes eighth in the conference and will open up the BIG EAST Tournament with Cincinnati on Friday, Nov. 19 at 12:30 p.m. in Pittsburgh, Pa.
