Bulls Host ECU and Cincinnati in Final Home Weekend
MATCHES: USF vs. ECU | USF vs. Cincinnati
DATES: Friday, Nov. 9, 5 p.m. | Sunday, Nov. 11, noon
LOCATION: The Corral (1,000)
TWITTER UPDATES: @USFVolleyball
LIVE STATS: Friday & Sunday
WATCH: Sunday
TAMPA, NOVEMBER 8, 2018 – The USF volleyball team welcomes East Carolina and second-place Cincinnati into the Corral for the final home weekend of 2018.
The Bulls (18-8, 7-6 The American) enter the weekend tied for fifth with Wichita State in the league standings. USF is two games behind Tulane and Tulsa for third place, four behind Cincinnati and UCF remains unbeaten at 13-0 during conference play.
The Bulls are in the top-100 RPI and in position to earn a postseason trip to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship. There are two more contests that can increase the Bulls' RPI ranking, with Cincinnati (No. 23 RPI) this weekend and the rival Knights (No. 11 RPI) on Nov. 21.
Eleven current Bulls have played the Pirates in their careers. Senior
Clara Payne (Osteen, Fla.) leads the way with seven contests, totaling 60 kills and 26 blocks. Senior
Maria McLamb (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) had 23 digs against ECU in Tampa last year. Senior setter
Briana Stowell (Orlando) had a season high 38 assists in Greenville last season.
Stowell tallied 46 assists on Oct. 21 against the Pirates, junior
Jac'cara Walker (Gainesville, Fla.) had 19 kills and 12 digs, sophomore
Jaeden Brown (Hollywood, Fla.) had 11 kills and six blocks and Payne tallied 12 kills with six blocks.
There are 14 current Bulls that have faced the Bearcats in their careers. Payne has seven previous matches against Cincy on her resume. Stowell tallied 26 assists against Cincy on Oct. 19 and Walker recorded 12 kills and nine digs.
Nota-Bulls
- The Bulls are 6-3 in five-set matches this season and 5-1 on Sundays.
- Walker leads the team with 325 kills and 12 double-doubles.
- Stowell is third in the conference with 787 assists this year and has 10 double-doubles.
- Brown leads the conference with 117 blocks.
Get to Know the Opponents
ECU
The Pirates rely on three players in sophomore Bri Wood (200 kills), classmate Sydney Kleinman (196 kills) and junior middle blocker Toya Osuegbu (182 kills). Sophomore setter Shelby Martin has 688 assists and Osuegbu leads the team with 69 blocks.
CINCINNATI
The Bearcats lost two of the last five, but are still firmly in second place in the league and enter the weekend at No. 23 in the RPI. Cincinnati still leads the league and sits 16th nationally with a .270 hitting percentage, fifth in the country with 1,494 kills and fifth with 1,411 assists. Redshirt junior Jordan Thompson has already set a program and conference record with 660 kills this year, leading the country in that category along with points (729.5) and points per set (6.82). The Bearcats have utilized two setters this season, as Armania Heckenmueller has 598 assists and senior Jade Tingelhoff has 591.
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 –
