TAMPA, OCTOBER 26, 2018 – The USF volleyball team overcame yet another 2-0 deficit, as it won its second-straight five-set match at home, defeating SMU Friday night (23-25, 15-25, 25-22, 25-22, 15-10).

The Bulls (16-7, 5-5 The American) faced a 2-0 deficit and head coach Courtney Draper made a couple changes to the lineup, inserting senior Maria McLamb (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) into the libero spot. McLamb provided a spark, tallying 15 digs in the final three sets with six assists. Nyemba Musemuna (Avon, Ind.) had six kills and Lindsey Pliapol (Daytona Beach, Fla.) began to dominate with five kills in the third set, as the two needed just 18 combined attacks.

Pliapol had five more kills in the fourth set to help lead USF to the fifth. The Mustangs (8-12, 5-5 The American) led 8-6 in the fifth before a 9-2 run gave the Bulls a wild come-from-behind win.   

Notables

• Redshirt senior Clara Payne (Osteen, Fla.) had a career high 10 blocks and needs just seven more to reach 400 for her career.
• Pliapol finished with 14 kills and eight digs.
• Freshman setter Lauren LaBeck (Chicago) had 25 assists and 10 digs off the bench with three kills and four blocks.
• Musemuna had eight kills and six blocks.

Key Stats
   
28 – Blocks for USF
4 – Bulls with double-digit digs.  
6 – Five-set wins for USF this season.  

Up Next
The Bulls host Houston Sunday at noon in the final month of October.

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.
 
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