The USF volleyball team suffered a 3-1 setback (17-25, 28-26, 19-25, 21-25) to the University of Cincinnati in the team's designated "Dig Pink" match Sunday afternoon at the USF Upper Recreation Center.

"I think the biggest thing that continues to affect us is our consistency," USF head coach Claire Lessigner said. "We can string something together so well for so long, but when we fall apart, we allow a seven point swing. We need to be more consistent throughout the entire match, but when we're good, we're pretty darn good."

Following a 17-25 loss in the opening frame, USF came out with a vengeance in the next set. The Bulls prevailed 28-26 in a second set that featured 19 ties and eight lead changes as no team led by more than two points for the entire set. With the score tied at 26 apiece, junior outside hitter J'beria Davis registered a kill to put the Bulls ahead by one. On the ensuing play, freshman outside hitter Valerie El Houssine notched the deciding point with a kill off the assist from classmate Shelbie Dailey.

The Bulls kept things close midway through the third and fourth sets, but the Bearcats eventually pulled away on the strength of a consistent offensive attack that featured hitting percentages of .265 and .345, respectively.

El Houssine led the Bulls offensively for the fourth straight match with 14 kills. 

USF showcased a gritty defensive effort that was able to slow Cincinnati's quick tempo offense.

“I thought Cincinnati was a scary matchup at first because of their quick attack and how well they run it," Lessinger said. "I thought we did a great job at slowing that down. That was the ultimate goal. Slow it down. In the second set, our block did such a great job of being in the right place and deflecting the ball to give us a chance."

Cincinnati (18-8, 8-2 Big East) was led by Preseason All-BIG EAST selection Jordanne Scott, who posted 22 kills at a .415 clip along with four digs and three blocks.

Senior libero Janice Rivera finished with a match-high 19 digs, raising her career total to 1,149, which ranks seventh on the program's all-time digs list.

Davis recorded seven kills, five digs and four blocks in a balanced effort for the Bulls.

USF (9-14, 5-5) completes its home slate of conference competition with a pair of matches next weekend against Villanova on Friday  at 7 p.m. and Georgetown on Sunday at 2 p.m.