TAMPA, Nov. 10, 2017 – The University of South Florida volleyball team received kills from eight different players in Friday's loss to Houston (23-25, 19-25, 26-28).

The opening set went back-and-forth with seven ties and four lead changes midway through. After the seventh tie of the opening set, the Cougars went on a 4-0 run to take an 18-14 edge. The Bulls (10-15, 5-10 The American) cut the deficit to one five times, but Houston took the set, 25-23.
 
Following a Jaeden Brown (Hollywood, Fla.) kill, USF trailed 15-13 in the second set. The Cougars used another 4-0 run to take a 19-13 lead. The Bulls got no closer than three, as Houston took the set, 25-19.
 
The Bulls trailed by as much as five and found themselves down 21-16 in the third set. After a block by middle blockers Joli Holland (Dublin, Calif.) and Clara Payne (Osteen, Fla.), a Reagan Davey (Ocala, Fla.) kill gave USF a 24-23 lead. Davey again gave the Bulls set point with her second-straight kill, making it 25-24. But four of the next five points went to the Cougars, as they won the final set 28-26.
 
NOTABLES

• Eight Bulls recorded kills, led by freshman Doris Carter (Lexington, Ky.) with eight.
• Brown had seven kills and Payne and Davey each had six.  
• Junior setter Briana Stowell (Orlando) recorded her second double-double with 20 assists and 11 digs.
• USF had 48 assists compared to Houston's 40. Each side had 52 digs.

UP NEXT
The Bulls will honor their five-member senior class Sunday prior to a noon start against Tulane.         

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.