The middle blocker tallied 14 kills in 17 attempts for a .737 hitting percentage

GREENVILLE, N.C., Oct. 2, 2016 – The University of South Florida volleyball team (11-5, 2-2 The American) registered a 3-0 sweep at East Carolina (10-4, 0-4) on Sunday afternoon.

The Bulls won with scores of 25-20, 25-14, and 25-18.

Redshirt sophomore Clara Payne (Osteen, Fla.) notched 14 kills in only 17 attempts for a career-best .737 hitting percentage.

USF trailed 18-16 in the opening set but rallied back late to take the opening set. Payne registered four kills in the first set as the Bulls hit .452 as a team.

Down one set to none, ECU won the opening point of set two but USF regained the lead and never trailed again in a convincing double digit victory. Senior outside hitter Dakota Hampton (Orland Park, Ill.) recorded six of her 11 kills in the set.

The Bulls never trailed in the final set, claiming seven of the final eight points in the weekend capping victory. USF held ECU to a .027 hitting percentage in the last set.

Quotables:

• USF head coach Courtney Draper on how the Bulls won: “Our passing and defense led by Elyse Panick and Amy Van Sant was solid, which in turn allowed Alex Mendoza to run a very efficient offense.”
• Coach Draper on Payne's historic performance: “I'm so proud of Clara's hard work in the match. She transitioned hard and it paid off for her and our team.”
• Payne on the Bulls' up tempo start: “We came out with a game plan and had a lot of energy which made the game so much fun. We played together and had great serve receive passes that made our offense hard to defend.”

 Key Stat:

• ECU entered the match with a conference-best .114 opponent's hitting percentage but the Bulls hit .291 to earn the victory.

Notables:

• USF is 7-2 all-time against ECU.
• The Bulls have won the last four meetings.
• USF is now 4-1 in matches at ECU.
• Junior setter Alex Mendoza (Minneola, Fla.) posted 29 assists in three sets.
• Senior libero Amy Van Sant (Atlanta) and senior right side hitter Elyse Panick (Chicago) both reached double figure digs. Van Sant had a team-high 15 as Panick added another 12.

Up Next:

USF returns home to host Tulane on Friday at 7 p.m. The Bulls will also be holding an autograph session following the conclusion of the match. Fans can purchase USF home match 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.  

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