Bulls Battle SMU and Houston over Halloweekend
MATCHES: USF vs. SMU | USF vs. Houston
DATES: Friday, Oct. 26, 7 p.m. | Sunday, Oct. 28, noon
LOCATION: The Corral (1,000)
TWITTER UPDATES: @USFVolleyball
LIVE STATS: Friday & Sunday
WATCH: Sunday
TAMPA, OCTOBER 25, 2018 – The USF volleyball team closes out the month of October hosting SMU and Houston inside the Corral.
The Bulls (15-7, 4-5 The American) split a weekend on the road, dropping a match to Cincinnati before winning a four-set contest at ECU. Junior outside hitter
Jac'cara Walker (Gainesville, Fla.) was named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll on Monday for the fourth time this season after leading USF with 4.43 kills, 3.00 digs and 4.57 points per set.
Seven current Bulls have faced SMU in their careers, but only redshirt senior
Clara Payne (Osteen, Fla.) has more than one match of previous experience. Senior defensive specialist
Maria McLamb (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) had 19 digs against the Mustangs last year.
Eight Bulls have matched up with Houston in their career. Payne has 47 kills in six matches with a .300 hitting percentage. She's also averaging 1.26 blocks per set in those six meetings. Senior setter
Briana Stowell (Orlando) had 20 assists and 11 digs against the Cougars in Tampa last season.
Nota-Bulls
- Payne needs just 17 more blocks to become the seventh player in program history with 400 for a career.
- The Bulls are 5-3 in five-set matches this season and 4-1 on Sundays.
- Freshman CC Clausen (The Woodlands, Texas) is fourth in The American with 409 digs this season.
- Walker leads the team with 272 kills and 11 double-doubles.
- Stowell is second in the conference with 725 assists this year and has 10 double-doubles.
- Sophomore middle blocker Jaeden Brown (Hollywood, Fla.) leads the league with 101 blocks.
Get to Know the Opponents
SMU
The Mustangs are paced by senior outside hitter Brittany Adams with 214 kills. Sophomore middle blocker Lexi Nordmann leads the league with a .333 hitting percentage. The team is second in The American with 17.13 digs per set. Junior libero Montana Watts has 409 digs, tied with USF's
CC Clausen for fourth in the conference.
HOUSTON
The Cougars went 13-2 in the nonconference slate. Junior outside hitter Megan Duncan leads the way with 246 kills. Freshman middle blocker Kendall Haywood is swinging .317 with 101 blocks, matching her with
Jaeden Brown for first in the league. Seven Cougars have at least 10 aces and the team leads the league with 1.51 aces per set. Junior defensive specialist Katie Karbo is 24th in the country with 452 digs.
About USF Volleyball
Led by redshirt senior middle blocker Clara Payne, who paced the team with 300 points and finished seventh in The American with a .290 hitting percentage, USF and seventh-year head coach Courtney Draper are excited for 2018. Senior setter Briana Stowell finished second on the team in 2017 with 243 assists and averaged 22.3 per match in the final month of the year. The Bulls are welcoming six new faces to the roster, with five talented freshmen and a skilled outside hitter coming from Marshall University.
Follow the volleyball team on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.
– #GoBulls –
