By TOM ZEBOLD

USF Senior Writer

TAMPA – Head coach Courtney Draper's young Bulls gained some valuable experience in Friday's season opener before a crowd of 732 at the Corral.

Erin Fairs posted a career-high18 kills and added 19 digs while several newcomers shined in the Bulls' 3-1 USF Tournament loss to Miami that was much closer than the final score. Miami took the first set, 27-25, and USF followed with a 25-22 win before the Hurricanes claimed the final two sets by 25-21 and 25-16 margins.

“The first three sets really were close the whole way. It could have gone either way,” Draper said. “Anytime you're in the game you want to win it, but unfortunately we didn't take advantage of the opportunities we were given. It was a great match against a tough opponent.”

Fairs set a career high with 17 kills three times last season on the way to becoming the Big East Freshman of the Year and the outside hitter didn't disappoint against Miami, which started its tournament run with a 3-1 victory over Austin Peay earlier Friday afternoon. Fairs also fell one dig short of matching her career high of 20 she set last season against Cincinnati.

“We try not to overuse her but she's just a dominant player and she's going to have to take a lot of swings for us this year,” Draper said. “On the flip side, she's also a great defensive player for us.”

Redshirt freshman Kayla Bivins finished second on the team with 12 kills while freshman Amy Van Sant came up with a team-high 21 digs. Another freshman who impressed Draper was Dakota Hampton, who finished with 16 digs after earning all-state honors out of Carl Sandburg High School in Orlando Park, Ill.

“Averaging four digs per set for an outside hitter as a freshman is pretty impressive. She has a bright future here,” Draper said.

The Bulls have an opportunity to bounce back quickly with another match on the schedule Friday at 7 p.m. against The Citadel.

“You have to learn from some of the mistakes in the first game and we're already looking forward to the next match tonight,” Draper said.