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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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Ohio State
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25
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25
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25
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--
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--
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3
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USF
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15
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21
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22
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--
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--
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0
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Top Performers
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Ohio State
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Player
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Kills
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Hit %
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Ast.
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Digs
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Points
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Emily Danks
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10 |
.562
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1
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1
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14.5
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Anna Szerszen
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8
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.615
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0
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3
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11.5 |
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USF
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Player
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Kills
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Hit %
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Ast.
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Digs
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Points
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9
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.172
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0
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4
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9.0
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0
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.000
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16
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2
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1.0
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Volleyball Central
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GoUSFBulls.com
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Gameday Links
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Watch Live
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Live Chat
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Gamenotes
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Social Media
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Interactive Guide
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LEXINGTON, Ky. - The University of South Florida volleyball team (1-2 overall) dropped three straight sets (25-15, 25-21, 25-22) to fall to Ohio State (4-0 overall) in its first match of the Kentucky Classic.
The Buckeyes, who are receiving votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Poll, remains undefeated in the young season. Ohio State outhit the Bulls .329 to .120 and out-blocked them, 8.0 to 2.5.
Sophomore Maija Strazdina, who entered the match leading the team with 3.17 kills per stanza, laid down nine kills hitting .231 for the Bulls. Sophomore transfer J'beria Davis had a season-high seven kills, while freshman Andrea Rodriguez Gomez and senior Allie Boaz recorded five and four kills, respectively.
Junior libero Janice Rivera registered six digs and sophomore Jessica Burghart tied her career high with two aces.
Emily Danks and Katie Dull of Ohio State both finished with double-digit kills and a match high 10 kills a piece.
In the first set, the Bulls trailed 3-0 before Strazdina put the first point on the board with one of her three kills in the set. At 6-2, USF strung together three straight points to cut the Buckeye lead to one.
At 16-11, Ohio State took a demanding 10 point lead on a 5-0 run. Senior Kimika Rozier and Rodriguez Gomez ended the run with a double block on Kelli Barhorst, but Ohio State was too much for USF, winning the first set by 10, 25-15.
In the both the second and third sets, USF led Ohio State at one point but could not put together enough of a rally to pull the momentum their direction.
With an early 2-1 lead by Ohio State, USF turned the energy around after a Rodriguez Gomez kill and put together its longest rally of the year with seven straight points. After a Boaz kill, Ohio State's head coach, Geoff Carlston, was forced to call its first timeout.
The Bulls did not let the 90 second break its rally as Rodriguez Gomez downed her second kill of the run. The Buckeyes slowly crept back and evened the score at 13-13 on a Burghart attack error. Sophomore Caitlyn Breen's then picked up her only kill of the game to even the set at 16.
Mariah Booth pulled out the kill at 24-21 to send the Bulls to the locker room down 2-0.
In the third set, the Bulls started on a 3-0 run. Davis put the first point on the board for the Bulls in the set from an assist by Rivera. Rodriguez Gomez extended USF's lead with three straight kills to put the Bulls up by five, 6-1.
With a two-point lead, the Bulls went on a 5-0 run, this time led by Davis with back-to-back kills. Lessingers' squad had the 19-16 advantage but the Buckeyes fought back to even the score and take the lead on a 6-0 run. The Bulls tried to force a fourth set when Davis hammered a kill on match set for the Buckeyes and the Danks' kill gave the Bulls their first loss of the Kentucky Classic.
USF is now 0-2 against the Buckeyes still unable win a set in both 3-0 losses to the Big Ten foe.
The Bulls will have two matches tomorrow as they face off against No. 16 Kentucky at 11 a.m. and conclude the tournament against Miami (OH) at 5:30 p.m. in the Memorial Coliseum.
