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.