PHILADELPHIA - The University of South Florida volleyball team looked sharp in Philadelphia Wednesday night, posting its 11th conference win on the heels of Andrea Rodriguez Gomez's third double-double of the 2013 season.
Rodriguez Gomez contributed 12 kills and 10 blocks in one of the Bulls' most balanced offensive matches of the season as seven players recorded at least five kills to overpower Temple in four sets, 25-23, 24-26, 25-20, 25-15.
Three players reached double-digit kills and five added double-digit digs as the Bulls lit up the stat sheet, out-hitting Temple .272-.178, out-blocking the Owls 14-7, and leading in nearly every statistical category.
Trailing 5-9 early in the first set, the Bulls began to close the gap, getting three consecutive kills from Jennica Mullins and Ciara Brown. USF tied things up at 15 all, and took the lead for good at 20-19, using back-to-back service aces from Amy Van Sant and a pair of Rodriguez Gomez kills to close out Temple 25-23. Rodriguez Gomez and Kayla Bivins led USF with a combined eight kills in 13 swings as the Bulls out-hit the Owls .400-.282 in a high-powered offensive set.
Both defenses adjusted well in the second set, and despite USF out-hitting Temple .191-.170 in the second set, it was the Owls who took home a 26-24 win, using eight kills from Gabriella Matautia to edge the Bulls and tie the match heading into intermission.
Through two sets, Temple had not figured out how to stop USF's middle attack, as Rodriguez Gomez and Jennica Mullins combined for 11 kills in 19 attempts, with no errors. That wouldn't change in the final two sets, as Mullins and Rodriguez Gomez hit .583 and .423, respectively, to lead the Bulls past the Owls in strong fashion out of the break.
The duo received help from Bivins, whose four kills paced USF's third set win. Bivins would collect 12 kills and hit .385 in the match, while adding five blocks. Freshman Alexus Heidelberg stole the show in the fourth set however, knocking down four of her eight kills as the Bulls never trailed, finishing off the Owls in style with a 25-15 decision. The win marked USF's 17th of the season, tying last year's record with a match to go.
Dakota Hampton (10 kills, 11 digs) and Wylie Devlin (23 assists, 10 digs) joined Rodriguez Gomez with double-doubles, and Erin Fairs led the team with 14 digs. The Bulls return to action Friday in Memphis, looking for win No. 18 to close out the season.
|