TAMPA, Oct. 13, 2017 – The USF volleyball team contested closely, but dropped Friday night's match to Temple in three sets (23-25, 22-25, 16-25).

The Bulls (7-10, 2-5 The American) faced an early 9-1 deficit and trailed 18-10 midway through the opening set. But a 10-4 run cut the Owls' (9-6, 5-2 The American) lead to 22-20. Facing set point, USF cut the margin to just one following back-to-back kills from redshirt-junior Clara Payne (Osteen, Fla.). But Temple was able to win the set on the next rally, 25-23.
 
In the second set, USF faced a 10-4 deficit until consecutive kills from freshman Nikkia Benitez (Miami) ignited a 4-0 run. The match was knotted up four times before the Bulls grabbed their first lead of the match, 19-18. But a 7-3 Temple run finished off the set, 25-22.
 
The Bulls jumped on the Owls early in the third set, leading 4-1. With the score tied 7-7, Temple used a 6-1 run to take a 13-8 edge. The Temple lead did not dip below three the rest of the set, as it won 25-16 to take the match.  

KEY STATS

• Payne finished with a team-best eight kills and totaled a match-high six blocks.
• Senior setter Alex Mendoza (Minneola, Fla.) had 29 assists.
• Freshman Doris Carter (Lexington, Ky.) recorded seven kills and hit .389, while adding three total blocks.  
• USF had 47 digs compared to Temple's 42.

UP NEXT
The Bulls host UConn Sunday at noon for the annual Pink Game. The Bulls will also be wearing green laces in support of cancer. The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a free "DIG PINK" rally towel.   

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.