The University of South Florida volleyball team continued its hot streak into the BIG EAST conference opener, extending the win streak to seven.

The Bulls (9-5 overall, 1-0 BIG EAST) got a strong performance from freshman Ciara Brown, riding 16 kills and a .452 hitting percentage from the right side hitter to top Rutgers in four sets on the road Saturday afternoon, 21-25, 28-26, 27-25, 25-21.

USF used eight different attackers to out-hit Rutgers .228-.136 in a defensive battle, and out-dug the Scarlet Knights 81-68 secure the road win.

After losing a close first set, the Bulls pulled off back-to-back come from behind wins to grab a 2-1 lead in the match, then put on a blocking clinic in the fourth set, sending back seven Rutgers attacks to finish off the contest. USF out-blocked the Scarlet Knights 14-7, getting eight block assists from senior Caitlyn Breen, and six from junior Kayla Walton.

Walton had a big day on offense as well, contributing 14 kills while hitting .371 for the Bulls. Senior J'beria Davis posted 11 kills, with junior Andrea Rodriguez Gomez adding nine and sophomore Valerie El Houssine posting eight.

Defensively, senior libero Claudia Cabrera notched 28 digs, and El Houssine added 15. Freshman setter Natalia Soares recorded her first career double-double, recording 22 assists and ten digs in the win. USF plays again Sunday at two p.m., traveling to take on Seton Hall.