Senior Elyse Panick totaled 19 kills, two shy of her career-high
DALLAS, Nov. 12, 2016 – The University of South Florida volleyball team (16-12, 7-9 The American) was defeated in three sets at first place SMU (21-7, 14-2) on Saturday afternoon.
The Mustangs won with scores of 25-16, 25-23, and 25-20.
USF was guided by senior right side hitter Elyse Panick (Chicago), whose 19 digs were two shy of her career best. She also added five kills and a team-leading three blocks.
SMU led wire-to-wire in the opening set.
Trailing one set to none, USF rallied from an early deficit in the following set to take a 23-22 advantage. The Bulls were hoping to even up the match but the Mustangs recorded the final three points for a two set to none advantage.
USF also led by as many as four points in the third set, but SMU surged late to complete the sweep.
Quotables:
- USF head coach Courtney Draper on the Mustangs: “SMU is the best team in conference and that is how they played.”
- Draper on the Bulls: “We did many good things as a team, and I'm proud of the hustle we showed. We served them tough and applied pressure to their offense, but this is not a team that's going to give you any easy points. We just didn't score enough of our own points to win today.”
Key Stat:
- The Mustangs out-hit the Bulls .270 to .150 in the match.
Notables:
- SMU is 5-3 all-time against USF.
- Austin completed the match with a team-high 11 kills. She also had 11 digs and two block solos.
- Junior setter Alex Mendoza (Minneola, Fla.) registered 36 assists.
Up Next:
The Bulls return home to host UConn (Nov. 18). The team will hold a senior night ceremony and a postgame autograph signing as well.
Home 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 have won three conference player of the week honors this year and have landed five honorees on the weekly honor roll. Hampton recorded her 1,000th dig and 1,000th kill this season, becoming the ninth player in program history to achieve both at USF. Senior libero Amy Van Sant (Atlanta) also compiled her 1,000th dig this year and junior setter Alex Mendoza (Minneola, Fla.) has surpassed the 1,500 assist total. 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 –
