Date: Friday, Nov. 20, 2015
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Tampa, Fla | The Corral (750)
Video: N/A
Radio: N/A
Follow: Live Stats | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Tickets

TAMPA – The University of South Florida volleyball team (9-19, 6-10 AAC) begins the final home weekend of the 2015 season when the Bulls host Cincinnati (17-10, 9-7 AAC) on Friday, Nov. 20.

PROMOTIONS

USF volleyball will honor the parents of the team's players prior to the match. Fans will also be able to get autographs from their favorite Bulls players after the match.

WHAT TO KNOW

·         This is the second to last home match for USF this season

·         Senior Wylie Devlin (Winter Park, Fla.) recorded 18 digs in the last match at Temple (Nov. 15)

·         Sophomore middle blocker Joli Holland (Dublin, Calif.) boasts a team-best .332 hitting percentage

·         The Bulls are 12-15 all-time against Cincinnati

·         Five of the last six matches have gone to five sets

THE OPPONENT
Cincinnati enters the match in fourth place in the AAC standings. The Bearcats snapped a stretch of back to back losses with a 3-0 road sweep of East Carolina (Nov. 15). UC is 1-1 so far on their four-match trek away from Fifth Third Arena. Jordan Thompson leads the Bearcats in kills (390) and hitting percentage (.280). Abby Williams holds the team-best in digs (448) and aces (25). Maya Muldrow is a force up front with 82 blocks.

 
THE COACHES
USF is led by fourth year head coach Courtney Draper.

Cincinnati is guided by Molly Alvey in her fourth season as head coach.

HISTORY
USF trails Cincinnati 15-12 in the series. The Bearcats won 3-1 in the lone meeting this season (Oct. 11). The Bulls are 6-7 at home against UC including a 3-2 victory in the last meeting at The Corral (Nov. 28, 2014).

Last five meetings:

SO...WE MEET AGAIN

In the last meeting, USF fell to Cincinnati 3-1 at Fifth Third Arena. Junior right side hitter Elyse Panick (Chicago) and junior outside hitter Dakota Hampton (Orland Park, Ill.) led the Bulls with 13 kills each. Hampton added 14 digs for a double-double.

LAST TIME OUT

On Sunday, USF was defeated 3-0 at Temple (Nov. 15). Wylie Devlin led the Bulls with 18 digs in the contest. Sophomore setter Alex Mendoza (Minneola, Fla.) and senior setter Natalie Soares (Porto Alegre, Brazil) both recorded double digit assists with 17 and 12 respectively.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

The USF volleyball team took a respite from their Connecticut to Pennsylvania roadtrip to visit the National 9/11 Memorial (Nov. 14). The team reflected on the impactful message of the historical location and learned more about the lasting impact of strength and perseverance.

ALL GOOD THINGS MUST END

Dakota Hampton saw her 11 match double-double streak come to an end at UConn (Nov. 13). The Orland Park, Ill. native fell just two digs shy of extending the streak to 12. The previous time Hampton did not record a double-double was over a month ago, when the Bulls hosted Houston (Oct. 2).

SHUT OUT TRAFFICKING
USF Athletics and USF Student Affairs have partnered with Shut Out Trafficking, a joint effort between the U.S. Fund for UNICEF's End Trafficking project and the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS), to host a week of outreach events to raise awareness about Human Trafficking with the use of sport. This issue hits very closely to home as Florida is ranked 3rd in the nation for human trafficking activity - with Tampa being one of the top destinations in the state.

UP NEXT
The Bulls are back home to host Memphis on Sunday, Nov. 22. The match and Senior Day will be held at The Corral and begin at 1:00 p.m.

The USF volleyball program has reached the NCAA Tournament seven times and boasts seven conference championships. The Bulls return five starters (plus a libero) from last season's team. USF is guided by fourth year head coach Courtney Draper. Follow the volleyball team on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information. Purchase tickets HERE.

–GoUSFBulls.com-