TAMPA, Oct. 29, 2017 – The University of South Florida volleyball team showed great effort against the 21^st ranked team in the nation Sunday afternoon, dropping a three-set match to Wichita St. (11-25, 12-25, 18-25).

The Bulls (9-13, 4-8 The American) kept things close with the Shockers (20-3, 12-0 The American), trailing by only two midway through the first set, 9-7. But a 16-3 Wichita St. run closed the set to give it a win. The Shockers extended a 10-5 edge with a 9-2 run, making it 19-7. The lead got up to 15 before Wichita St. capped off the set, winning 25-12.
 
The Shockers led by as much as 13 midway through the third set, but the Bulls began to claw back. A 4-0 USF run trimmed the deficit to 20-12. Wichita St. extended the advantage, going up by to give it match point at 24-12. But consecutive kills from redshirt-junior Clara Payne (Osteen, Fla.) and junior Reagan Davey (Ocala, Fla.) sparked a 6-0 run, as the latter tallied three kills in the stretch. But Wichita St. got a kill to secure the win, 25-18.  
 
KEY STATS

• Six Bulls recorded kills led by Davey with seven.
• Payne had five kills and two block assists.
• Senior setter Alex Mendoza (Minneola, Fla.) tallied 16 assists.

UP NEXT
The Bulls are back on the road for a match at ECU Friday at 7:00 p.m.      

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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