USF finishes the weekend roadswing 2-0 and will host SMU on Friday at 7 p.m.

STORRS, Conn., Oct. 16, 2016 – The University of South Florida volleyball team (14-6, 5-3 The American) completed an undefeated roadswing with a five set victory at UConn (13-6, 4-4) on Sunday afternoon.

USF earns the win with scores of 25-14, 25-20, 20-25, 19-25, 15-13.

Fresh off a sweep at first place Temple, the Bulls led wire to wire in the first set at UConn. Redshirt sophomore middle blocker Clara Payne (Osteen, Fla.) notched four kills early on as USF held the Huskies to a -.094 hitting percentage.

Trailing 9-7 in the second set, senior right side hitter Elyse Panick (Chicago) provided a pivotal kill for USF, starting a 9-2 Bulls run. It was a lead the Bulls would never relinquish the remainder of the way, taking a two set advantage.

After dropping the third and fourth sets, USF trailed by as many as three points in the final set. Down 13-12, the Bulls tallied three straight points, including back-to-back kills from senior outside hitter Dakota Hampton (Orland Park, Ill.) that earned USF the victory. Junior middle blocker Joli Holland (Dublin, Calif.) also recorded three kills in the set for the Bulls.

Quotables:

• USF head coach Courtney Draper on the team's fight: “I'm really proud of the team for fighting as hard as they did in the fifth set.”
• Draper on her difference makers: “Dakota had an awesome match for us offensively. Elyse was brilliant defensively, both blocking and digging balls the best I have ever seen her. Joli came out swinging in the fifth set to lead us in kills and hit .750 in the set. “
• Draper on the Bulls: “It was a complete team effort and I couldn't have asked for more from our team today.”
• Hampton on the win: “It was an extremely intense match and it came down to who had more heart. That's how we came out on top.”
• Hampton on the final points: “As a senior, I knew that it was my job to put those two balls down to get momentum for my team. Our back row did a great job digging to make the last two kills possible.”

Key Stat:

• The Bulls defense held UConn to a .073 hitting percentage for the match, and also out blocked the Huskies 16 to 8.

Notables:

• UConn and USF have split the 16 meetings in school history.
• Coach Draper is 6-3 versus the Huskies.
• After losing the first four meetings at UConn, USF has been victorious in three of the last four matches at Gampel Pavilion.
• USF has won six of the last seven meetings overall with the Huskies.
• This is only the second time the Bulls have won at Temple and at UConn in the same season (2013).
• Junior setter Alex Mendoza (Minneola, Fla.) registered 41 assists in five sets.
• Senior libero Amy Van Sant (Atlanta) notched 21 digs over five sets.
• Panick added 13 digs and eight block assists, one shy of tying her career best.
• Payne totaled nine kills and seven block assists.
• Redshirt junior middle blocker Hannah Smith (Fleming Island, Fla.) contributed career-highs in block solos (two), block assists (five) and total blocks (seven).

Up Next:

The Bulls return home to host SMU (Oct. 21) at 7 p.m. It will also be USF's Dig Pink match as the Bulls will honor breast cancer research and wear pink colored uniforms. The team will also sign autographs following the match.

Tickets are only $5 and fans can purchase their tickets HERE.

About USF Volleyball

The USF volleyball program has reached the NCAA Tournament seven times and boasts seven conference championships. In 2016, the Bulls return 10 players from last season including their top eight point scorers from a year ago. USF also brings back senior outside hitter Dakota Hampton (Orland Park, Ill.), who was named to the 2016 American Athletic Conference preseason team. The 6-0 start was the program's longest winning streak to begin a season since 2000. The Bulls are guided by fifth 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.  

– #GoBulls –