University of South Florida
Evansville
Scrappy Defense Pulls Bulls Past Evansville
September 08, 2012 | Women's Volleyball
Put another tally in the wins column for the University of South Florida volleyball team.
The Bulls (3-5 overall) continued to showcase a strong team defense, using 79 digs to hold Evansville to a .103 hitting percentage and leading USF to a four-set win in the second match of the St. Louis Tournament Saturday, 25-19, 25-22, 23-25, 25-13.
Senior libero Claudia Cabrera notched a team-high 21 digs to set the pace, as freshmen Wylie Devlin and Erin Fairs posted 14 and 13 digs, respectively, each setting new career-highs as six different Bulls recorded at least seven digs in the match. Fairs' 11 kills rounded out her second double-double as a Bull.
USF used extended points to run a balanced offense, as all six Bulls attackers posted at least six kills in the win. Sophomore outside hitter Valerie El Houssine knocked out a double-double with 18 kills and 10 digs, and hit .333. Senior middle blocker Caitlin Breen set the pace in hitting percentage however, pounding out nine kills at a career-high .400 clip, forcing Evansville to protect the middle of the net.
Junior middle blocker Andrea Rodriguez Gomez continued her hot streak as a serve, finishing with three aces to compliment six kills, nine digs and five blocks. Freshman Ciara Brown added eight kills, tied a career-high with four blocks, and set a new career-high with seven digs.
The Bulls will finish off their non-conference road schedule tonight at 8 p.m., against St. Louis University.
