USF Athletics

Back In The Corral; Bulls Welcome Temple and UConn

October 12, 2017

Weekend Schedule

Match 1: Friday, Oct. 13 | 8 p.m. | USF vs. Temple
Match 2: Sunday, Oct. 15 | noon | USF vs. UConn
Locations: Tampa, Fla.
Twitter Updates: @usfvolleyball
Live Stats: Friday and Sunday
Watch: Facebook Live     

TAMPA, Oct. 12, 2017 – The University of South Florida volleyball team aims to even up its conference record, as it returns home to host Temple and UConn this weekend.
 
The Temple match is set for 8 p.m. Friday followed by UConn Sunday at noon. Both contests can be seen on Facebook Live.  

The Bulls (7-9, 2-4 The American) are in a five-way tie for sixth in the league standings after a comeback win at Tulsa on Oct. 8. For a second-straight Sunday, redshirt-junior middle blocker Clara Payne (Osteen, Fla.) set a career-high, recording 15 kills in the win.

Senior setter Alex Mendoza (Minneola, Fla.) put forth a pair of double-doubles over the weekend, totaling 91 assists and 33 digs, as she was named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll on Monday.
 
Freshman outside hitter Doris Carter (Lexington, Ky.) and senior outside hitter Priscilla Ehieze (Houston) had 14 kills apiece against Tulsa. The Bulls also had strong outings from defensive specialists Maria McLamb (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) and Faby Ribas (Orlando), with 27 and 19 digs, respectively.
 
THE OPPONENTS

Temple: The Owls are 8-6 on the season and 4-2 in conference. Senior outside hitter Izzy Rapacz leads Temple with 157 kills. Senior setter Kyra Coundourides sits first on the team with 455 assists. As a unit, the Owls sit second in The American with a 0.236 hitting percentage and first with 2.63 blocks per set. Middle blockers Iva Deak and Janine Simmons are tied for second in the conference with 1.16 blocks per set.
 
UConn: At 9-9 overall and 2-4 in the league, the Huskies enter the weekend led by the play of redshirt-sophomore outside hitter Kayla Williams. She sits fourth in the league with 246 kills and leads the conference with 28 service aces while also pacing the Huskies with 168 digs. Senior middle blocker Tosin Adeniyi leads UConn with a .347 hitting percentage and is second on the team with 118 kills. Junior setter Emma Turner is third in The American with 9.92 assists per set.

NOTABLES

• The Bulls are second in The American with 16.85 digs per set. McLamb leads the team with 4.14 digs per set.  
• Ehieze remains the team leader with 137 kills on the year, followed by Payne's 132 kills.
• Junior outside hitter Reagan Davey (Ocala, Fla.) has 126 kills on the year and Carter has 117.
• Mendoza sits sixth all-time in program history with 2,801 career assists. She needs 160 to move into fifth place. She's fifth in the conference with 576 assists on the season. 
• USF owns a 20-13 combined record against Temple and UConn. The Bulls lead the series with the Owls, 11-5.
• USF leads the series with the Huskies 9-8 and has won seven of the last eight meetings.

About USF Volleyball
In addition to 10 newcomers, USF returns a large core of talent for 2017, led by senior setter Alex Mendoza, who surpassed the 2,000 assist total in 2016 and posted a team-high 1,125 helpers. Redshirt-junior middle blocker Clara Payne finished second on the team with 340 points and senior middle blocker Joli Holland finished fourth with 251.5 points. The Bulls are guided by sixth-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.