DALLAS, Oct. 6, 2017 –The USF volleyball team fell to first-place SMU in four sets Friday night on the road (25-22, 15-25, 19-25, 20-25).  

After six ties midway through the opening set, the Mustangs (11-5, 5-0 The American) held a slim 16-13 lead. A Kill from freshman Doris Carter (Lexington, Ky.) started a 5-0 Bulls (6-9, 1-4 The American) run to give them an 18-16 advantage. The Mustangs were able to tie it four times, but USF kept retaking the lead and scored the final three points to win the set, 25-22.
 
The home side came out strong in the second, leading by as much as 11 for the majority of the frame to win 25-15. After falling behind 15-9 in the third set, the Bulls went on a 5-0 run capped off by a Priscilla Ehieze (Houston) kill to get within a point. After a Reagan Davey (Ocala, Fla.) kill made it 19-18 in favor of SMU, the Mustangs finished the set on a 6-0 run to win 25-19.
 
The Bulls led 10-9 in the fourth set after Carter's 10^th kill. But SMU answered with a 5-0 run to take a 14-10 edge. USF got to within two points twice, making it 15-13 before a 6-1 SMU run made it 21-14. The Bulls got as close as four, but the Mustangs closed the set and match, claiming a 25-20 victory in the final frame.
 
KEY STATS

• Carter and Davey each had 11 kills to lead the Bulls.
• Senior setter Alex Mendoza (Minneola, Fla.) had 38 assists and now has 2,744 for her career.
• Redshirt-junior middle blocker Clara Payne (Osteen, Fla.) tallied five kills and a season-high seven total blocks (3 solo, 4 assists).  
• Mendoza added a season-high 15 digs.

UP NEXT
The Bulls finish their four-match road swing at Tulsa Sunday at 2 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.
 
Follow the volleyball team on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.