TAMPA, SEPT 27, 2015 – Behind a career-best 12 kills from sophomore Joli Holland and a superb defensive effort, the USF volleyball team recorded its first conference win of the season in a 3-1 (25-23, 16-25, 25-20, 25-16) win over UConn Sunday.
“I was really proud of our kids,” said head coach Courtney Draper. “The crowd was awesome. Having our band here makes such a difference. I thought our kids really performed well today.”
Holland's 12 kills eclipsed her previous best of 11 earlier this season against Missouri and again against Georgia Tech. Her hitting percentage of .526 was also a career high. Holland also led the blocking effort for the Bulls with one solo and three block assists.
The Bulls (4-10, 1-1) edged the Huskies (6-7, 0-2) in the first set 25-23 off one of four kills in the match by freshman Molly Burkhardt (St. Augustine, Fla.). UConn then used a .357 hitting percentage to win the second set 25-16.
“I didn't feel like UConn made any big adjustments in the second set,” said Draper. “It was mostly on our side. We let a lot of easy balls fall. We weren't very efficient in the attacking game.”
The Bulls responded well after the break. They built a 17-7 lead on the way to a 25-20 third-set win. USF kept the pressure on UConn in the fourth set by taking an early 11-6 lead and never looking back in a dominating 25-16 win.
Junior Dakota Hampton (Orland Park, Ill.) led the team in kills with 13 and hit .344 for the match. The Bulls got a great effort from junior Elyse Panick (Chicago) who had a career-high 18 digs. Senior Wylie Devlin (Winter Park, Fla.) also added 18 digs.
As a team, USF hit .204 and UConn hit .185.
The Bulls will next host Houston on Friday at 7 p.m. before welcoming Tulane to The Corral on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 1 p.m.
