TAMPA, (Oct. 2, 2015) – A first set win and an incredible comeback rally in the fourth set wasn't enough to propel the USF volleyball team past Houston as the Bulls fell 3-2 Friday night.
Behind a .316 hitting percentage, the Bulls (4-11, 1-2) edged the Cougars (12-3, 2-1), 25-21, in the first set off one of four kills by Dakota Hampton (Orland Park, Ill.). Hampton, Joli Holland (Dublin, Calif.) and Elyse Panick (Chicago, Ill.) combined for 12 of the 16 kills for USF in the first set. Houston used 12 kills and a .206 hitting percentage to take set two, 25-21.
The Cougars used a .206 hitting percentage and took advantage of ten USF errors in the third set to pull out a 25-18 win. In the fourth set, the Bulls rallied from an 18-11 deficit to tie the set at 24 before pulling out a gritty 27-25 win.
The comeback would fall just short as the Bulls fell in the final set 15-13 to give Houston the match. The Bulls once again rallied from down 13-8 to tie the match but could not complete the comeback.
Leading the Bulls offensively was Denise Belcher (Apopka, Fla.) with 16 kills. On the defensive side, senior Wylie Devlin (Winter Park, Fla.) had a team-high 28 digs for a new career high. Molly Burkhardt (St. Augustine, Fla.) and Alex Mendoza (Minneola, Fla.) each finished with double-digit assists. Burkhardt, a freshman, led the Bulls with a career-high 30, while Mendoza finished with 15.
Houston, who came in to the match second in the conference with 81 service aces, had just 4 against USF. The Cougars hitting .221 and the Bulls held them to just .147.
The Bulls return to The Corral on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 1 p.m. for a conference matchup against Tulane.
- #GoBulls -
