USF Athletics

Bulls Begin Season Hosting USF Invitational

August 24, 2017

Tournament Schedule
Match 1: Friday, Aug. 25 | 4 p.m. | LSU vs. UAPB
Match 2: Friday, Aug. 25 | 7 p.m. | USF vs. Northwestern
Match 3: Saturday, Aug. 26 | Noon | USF vs. UAPB
Match 4: Saturday, Aug. 26 | 2 p.m. | LSU vs. Northwestern
Match 5: Saturday, Aug. 26 | 5 p.m. | Northwestern vs. UAPB
Match 6: Saturday, Aug. 26 | 7 p.m. | USF vs. LSU

TAMPA, Aug. 24, 2017 – Primed and ready to get the 2017 campaign under way, the University of South Florida volleyball team hosts the USF Invitational Aug. 25-26.
 
Opening its season at home for the first time since 2013, the Bulls welcome LSU, Northwestern and UAPB for this weekend's six-match tournament which begins Friday at 4:00 p.m. USF faces Northwestern in the night cap at 7:00 p.m. for its season opener. All three USF matches can be watched free of charge on Facebook Live. 
 
The Bulls are coming off a 19-win season, the most victories for the program since 2007. USF returns seven members from last year's squad, led by senior setter Alex Mendoza (Minneola, Fla.), who finished third in the American Athletic Conference in 2016 with over 10 assists per set. She eclipsed 2,000 career assists last year, becoming just the ninth player in program history to reach the milestone.
 
Redshirt-junior middle blocker Clara Payne (Osteen, Fla.) is back after recording 340 points a season ago and a team-high 124 total blocks, which ranked third in the conference. She was the lead point getter amongst all league middle blockers. Senior middle blocker Joli Holland (Dublin, Calif.) is back for her final campaign after leading the Bulls with a .337 hitting percentage in 2016. She tallied 202 kills and 78 total blocks.
 
Sixth-year head coach Courtney Draper will unveil 10 newcomers this weekend and all are expected to have a spot in the rotation. The group consists of five transfers and five freshmen who have impressed throughout the preseason.  
 
The Field

Northwestern: With eight teams in the AVCA preseason top-25 and four in the top-10, the Wildcats hail from one of the best conferences in the country. Chicago's Big Ten school is led by second-year head coach Shane Davis. Northwestern returns 11 players, three starters and its libero. The Wildcats are guided by a pair of seniors in setter Taylor Tashima and outside hitter Symone Abbot. Tashima tallied 1,008 assists and 238 digs in 2016 and Abbot registered 459 kills.
 
LSU: The Tigers are steered by Fran Flory, who is in her 20th season as head coach. LSU returns five of its top six point producers from 2016 and both liberos. Senior outside hitter Gina Tillis tallied a team-high 333 kills in 2016. Senior liberos Cheyenne Wood and Kelly Quinn combined for 670 digs last season.
 
UAPB: The Golden Lions return their top three attackers from 2016. Third-year head coach Dustin Sahlmann has talent and youth back in the fold, as sophomore outside hitter Kendalle Howard leads the returners after posting 198 kills, 240 points, 116 digs and 26 aces in 2016. Senior outside hitter Lauren Corby notched 165 kills, 65 total blocks and 222 digs last season while junior middle blocker Taylor Burrall recorded 142 kills and a team-high 77 total blocks.  

Notables
 

• The Bulls have gone 5-1 in opening tournaments over the last two years, dropping a total of four sets.
• The Bulls have faced this weekend's opponents a combined three times. USF dropped the only meeting against Northwestern, has yet to play UAPB and is tied with LSU 1-1

Tickets

Season tickets ($35) and single match tickets ($5) are available for purchase at USFBullsTix.com or by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls.

About USF Volleyball
In addition to 10 newcomers, USF returns a slew of talent for 2017, led by senior setter Alex Mendoza, who surpassed the 2,000 assist total in 2016 and led the Bulls with 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. 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.