Bulls Drop Two Close Matches at Bulldog Invitational

Friday, September 1

Starkville, Miss.

11:00 AM

University of South Florida

1-3

Stephen F. Austin

3-1

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN	25	21	25	25	3
USF	14	25	21	9	1

Team	1	2	3	Final F
USF	23	20	22	0
Mississippi State	25	25	25	3

Bulls Drop Two Close Matches at Bulldog Invitational

September 01, 2017 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

STARKVILLE, Miss., Sept. 1, 2017 – The University of South Florida volleyball team saw five different players post double-digit kills on Friday, as it fell to Stephen F. Austin (14-25, 25-21, 21-25, 9-25) and Mississippi State (23-25, 20-25, 22-25) at the Bulldog Invitational.

STEPHEN F. AUSTIN MATCH

The Bulls (1-4) dropped the opening set, but bounced back in the second with a 25-21 win behind seven kills from senior outside hitter Priscilla Ehieze (Houston, Texas) and four from freshman outside hitter Doris Carter (Lexington, Ky.). The Ladyjacks (3-1) won the third set and took the match with a fourth-set victory.

MISSISSIPPI STATE MATCH

The host Bulldogs (4-1) were tested by the Bulls in Friday's second match. USF trailed, 24-19, before a Clara Payne (Osteen, Fla.) service ace and consecutive kills from senior middle blocker Joli Holland (Dublin, Calif.) headed a 4-0 run to make it 24-23. But Mississippi State claimed the opening frame on the next serve to win the set. The second set was highly contested, as the Bulls trailed 20-19. The Bulldogs picked up five of the last six points to take a 2-0 lead. The third set was another battle, with the hosts leading by no more than four. Down 20-18, the Bulls were able to tie the score three times, the final stalemate coming after a Carter kill. But the Bulldogs used three-straight kills to take the set and match.

QUOTABLES:

Head coach Courtney Draper on the two matches:
"Both of today's opponents were very strong. We did not execute as a team in certain areas as well as we are capable of, but give the teams we faced credit. The good thing about a tournament is you get a chance to watch each opponent closely, so we'll be ready to go tomorrow and finish the invitational strong."

KEY STATS

Ehieze led the Bulls with 20 kills on Friday. Carter added 14 kills, including 10 against SFA.
Payne also recorded 14 kills to go along with four blocks.
Holland totaled 11 kills and junior outside hitter Reagan Davey (Ocala, Fla.) tallied 12 kills on the afternoon.
Senior setter Alex Mendoza (Minneola, Fla.) led both matches with 33 and 30 assists, respectively.

NOTABLES

Ehieze's 13 kills against SFA matched a career high. She has a team-best 49 kills this season.

UP NEXT
The Bulls play Grambling State at noon on Saturday to wrap up the Bulldog Invitational. Live stats will be available on http://statb.us/b/182811.

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.

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