Friday, September 23
Syracuse, N.Y.
7:00 PM
University of South Florida
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Syracuse
Rally Lifts USF Over Syracuse In Big East Opener
September 24, 2011 | Women's Volleyball
By TOM ZEBOLD USF Senior Writer SYRACUSE - The Bulls found themselves down two sets at Syracuse, but head coach Claire Lessinger's crew was far from finished Friday night. The USF volleyball team (5-8, 1-0 BIG EAST) dug deep to sweep the final three sets and hand the Orange (9-5, 0-1 BIG EAST) a 21-25, 22-25, 29-27, 29-27, 15-12 loss in the Big East opener for both programs. “We just willed ourselves to win,” Lessinger said. Several personal records were either broken or tied in the process. Shelbie Dailey posted career highs in assists (65) and digs (10). Valerie El Houssine posted the most kills (30) and digs (16) as a Bull. J'beria Davis tied her single-match top mark for kills with 22, while Andrea Rodriguez Gomez tied her career high in kills (13) that set last season against Syracuse. Janice Rivera also shined with 21 digs and fell just two short of 1,000 in her career at USF. “These guys left it all out there until the bitter end. That takes a lot to do on the road,” Lessinger said. USF's goal was to come out and play aggressive and smart on offense from the start. The Bulls finally got warmed up offensively in the third set and the momentum swung greatly in their favor. “We just got into some really good rhythms in the third,” Lessinger said. Kills haven't come in bunches for this young USF team this season, but the third set could be its breakthrough. Lessinger's bunch posted 22 kills against a Syracuse squad that leads the country in blocks per set (3.34). “Those are just big, big hurdles for this young team,” Lessinger said. By the match's end, four Bulls also finished in double-digit dig totals. Claudia Cabrera was the fourth with 13. “Our defense behind our block was incredible,” Lessinger said. USF looks to build on its triumph in its next match 1 p.m. Sunday at Marquette.
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