Austin finishes with 13 digs and 12 kills; Payne tallies 11 kills and nine blocks

TAMPA, Oct. 9, 2016 – The University of South Florida volleyball team (12-6, 3-3 The American) took down Houston (5-12, 0-6) three sets to one on Sunday afternoon.

The Bulls won with scores of 25-13, 25-21, 23-25, 25-12.

Senior outside hitter T'ara Austin (Joliet, Ill.) recorded 13 digs, 12 kills and a career-best .458 hitting percentage in the victory. Redshirt sophomore middle blocker Clara Payne (Osteen, Fla.) contributed 11 kills and nine block assists, a career-high.

The Bulls took control of the opening set with a double digit victory. USF held Houston to a .028 hitting percentage early on as Payne posted three kills and five block assists.

USF then persevered through a close second set. Senior libero Amy Van Sant (Atlanta) notched seven of her 24 digs to push the Bulls ahead two sets to none.

Facing a sweep, Houston trailed 23-19 in set number three but tallied the final six points to force a fourth set.

USF then completed the match with another double digit victory in the final set. Payne added another four kills and three blocks.

Quotables:

• USF head coach Courtney Draper on how the Bulls won: “It was a solid performance by a lot of different players.”
• Draper on Austin's performance: “I was very proud of the way T'ara stepped up and took control of the game. She was very efficient.”
• Draper on Payne's game: “Clara was awesome. She was second on the team in kills which is very tough to do as a middle. She also brought her defensive game – nine blocks is an incredible number for a middle to put up.”
• Austin on the team's response after the third set: “I told the team we had to get mad and we can't expect teams to die down. We had to fight and stay aggressive.”
• Payne on the team's energy: “I feel like we really came out with a hunger, were excited for this win, and took care of business.”

Key Stat:

• The Bulls threw down 12 blocks in the match compared to one for the Cougars.

Notables:

• Houston is 13-12 all-time against USF.
• Coach Draper is 5-2 versus the Cougars.
• Junior setter Alex Mendoza (Minneola, Fla.) compiled 35 assists and 19 digs over four sets.
• Amy Van Sant led the team with 24 digs in four sets, including her 1,000th career dig.

Up Next:

USF is on the road next at Temple (Oct. 14) and at UConn (Oct. 16).

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. 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 –