University of South Florida
Villanova
USF Offense Sets Pace in 3-0 Win
October 13, 2012 | Women's Volleyball
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Special to GoUSFBulls.com
The University of South Florida volleyball team came to play Friday night, beating conference opponent Villanova in three straight sets. After a road trip where the Bulls (11-9 overall, 3-4 BIG EAST) played well but dropped two games to conference opponents, the team was back home and determined to get a win. The Bulls looked tough as they won the quick way, beating the Wildcats in three sets, 25-16, 25-23, 25-21. Freshman Erin Fairs led the way, posting her seventh career double-double. She had a career-high .423 hitting percentage while leading the team with 19 digs, just one dig shy of another career high. “We came in knowing last year, Villanova knocked us out of the Big East tournament,” Fairs said. “So we were ready to play.” The first set was close until the Bulls rallied to go on a seven-point run to turn a tied set into a 20-13 lead. The Bulls stayed focused and went on to win the first set 25-16. Senior Shelbey Bleke, who hit a career high .800 in the game, led the Bulls in the first set with five kills in just five swings. Fairs added 10 digs and five kills, getting a quick start on her double-double. “I think it just kind of clicked,” Bleke said. “One thing that was successful was being up really early. “Some of my kills were hard swings, but if I'm up really early and the blocker is later than me, I can just kind of tip it over.” The Bulls battled back late in the second set, scoring five straight points to come from behind and win 25-23. Fairs added four kills and five more digs, giving her a total of 15 digs through the first two sets. The Bulls had no need for a comeback in the third set, jumping ahead early and staying there to finish the final set with a 25-21 win. “I have to give a lot of credit to the passers,” head coach Courtney Draper said. “If we pass the ball well, we can set up a stronger offense.” Junior Kayla Walton added another strong performance, hitting .471 with nine kills, second on the team in both categories for the evening. The Bulls are back in the Corral Sunday at 2 p.m. to take on Big East opponent Georgetown.
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