HOUSTON, Oct. 22, 2017 – The USF volleyball team dropped Sunday's tilt at Houston in straight sets (21-25, 12-25, 21-25).   

The Bulls (8-12, 3-7 The American) led 3-0 early in the first set before the Cougars (8-10, 4-6 The American) took an edge. With Houston up 9-8, it used a 4-0 run to take a 13-8 advantage. USF cut the margin to three at 24-21, but the Cougars were able to take the set, 25-21.
 
USF trailed by just one early in the second set, 8-7, but the Cougars went on a 12-3 run to take a 20-10 lead and went on to win, 25-12. After trailing 9-4 in the third set, the Bulls came back to tie the score 12-12. Houston regained a four-point edge at 20-16, but a Doris Carter (Lexington, Ky.) service ace ignited a 5-1 USF run to tie the set at 21-21. The Cougars tallied the final four points to win the set 25-21 and take the match.  

KEY STATS

• Carter reached double-digit kills for the ninth time this season with 11.
• Junior Briana Stowell (Orlando) had a match-high three service aces.
• Senior setter Alex Mendoza (Minneola, Fla.) recorded 22 assists and 11 digs for her eighth double-double of the year.  

UP NEXT
The Bulls return home for their first rematch of the conference slate, as they welcome Memphis on Friday.     

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.
 
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