ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 21, 2016 – The University of South Florida volleyball team (9-4, 0-1) was defeated by UCF (11-3, 1-0) in the War on I-4 Wednesday evening.

The Knights won the American Athletic Conference opener with scores of 25-21,25-12, and 25-21.

The Bulls trailed by as many as seven points in the opening set before rallying back to tie the Knights at 17. After alternating a few points, UCF broke a 20-20 tie by tallying five of the final six points to pull ahead one set to none.

After USF dropped the second set, the Bulls trailed just 22-21 in the third set. Unfortunately for the visitors, the Knights strung together three consecutive points to claim the victory.

Quotables:

• Head coach Courtney Draper on her team: "We did a good job containing all but one of their players, but Jale Hervey is an outstanding player that had a career night."
• Draper on her key to the match: "We did well defensively but really struggled on offense."

Key Stat:

• The Knights outhit the Bulls .252 to .062.

Notables:

• USF is 47-32 all-time against UCF in volleyball.
• The Knights have won the last seven matches.
• This was the inaugural War on I-4 meeting between USF and UCF.
• The Knights lead the War on I-4 rivalry by a score of 3-0.
• The next War on I-4 matchup will take place in men's soccer when UCF hosts USF on Saturday at 7 p.m. Six points will be up for grabs when the two teams take to the pitch.
• The volleyball teams will meet again at USF on Nov. 2 for an additional three points.
• Senior outside hitter Denise Belcher (Apopka, Fla.) registered a team-high nine kills.
• Junior setter Alex Mendoza (Minneola, Fla.) recorded 19 assists and 12 digs.
• Senior libero Amy Van Sant (Atlanta) notched 17 digs in the defeat.

Up Next:

USF returns home to host Memphis in the Sun Dome on Sunday, Sept. 25 at noon. The team is also holding a postgame clinic for middle school and younger children. Fans can purchase season, or single 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.  

– #GoBulls –