Reloaded Bulls Host USF Invitational to Open Season
EVENT: USF Invitational
DATES: Friday, Aug. 24 – Saturday, Aug. 25
USF SCHEDULE: Friday – vs. San Jose State, 11 a.m., vs. Jacksonville, 7 p.m.; Saturday – vs. Stony Brook, 1 p.m.
LOCATION: The Corral (inside Yuengling Center), Tampa
WATCH: USF vs. San Jose State, Friday,
BullsVision
TWITTER UPDATES: @USFVolleyball
TICKETS: USFBullsTix.com
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By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, AUG. 23, 2018 – Equipped with a roster of 11 returners and six talented newcomers, seventh-year USF head coach
Courtney Draper is excited to see what the Bulls bring to the court in 2018.
After a highly productive preseason, Draper's Bulls look to build momentum during this weekend's USF Invitational. USF starts with two tests Friday against San Jose State at 11 a.m. and Jacksonville at 7 p.m. inside The Corral. The Bulls cap off the weekend with a match against Stony Brook on Saturday at 1 p.m.
This is only the second time USF will open the season at home since 2013 and Draper sees it as a big benefit for a team that features 12 underclassmen.
"I think it's always fun for the first tournament to be played at home. There's just a level of comfort," Draper said. "This is where they've been training, they're in their own bed. A lot of friends and family will be here to see them play and support them."
Fans will have plenty of talent to cheer for with USF returning its top two 2017 point-scorers in
Clara Payne and
Reagan Davey. Payne, a redshirt senior middle blocker from Osteen, Fla., led the way with 300 points and 99 blocks while making 28 starts as a junior.
"Clara has had a great career for us so far," said Draper of Payne, who joined the Bulls in 2015 as a redshirt freshman transfer from Virginia Tech.
Davey, a senior from Ocala, Fla., begins her second run with the Bulls after spending her first two collegiate seasons at Iowa. Davey produced in her USF debut as an outside hitter, ranking second on the team with 243 kills and third with 222 digs in 2017.
"We changed her position a little bit starting last spring. She's on the right side now instead of the outside," Draper said. "It was like a light bulb clicked. She was a little frustrated with the position at first and now she's really becoming more comfortable out there and doing a great job on the right side for us."
Another return Draper expects big things from is senior
Briana Stowell (Orlando), who finished with second on the squad with 243 assists as a first-year Bull in 2017.
"Our senior setter has really impressed everybody in the whole department," Draper said.
Get to Know the Go-To Newcomers
USF's 2018 recruiting class is packed with potential and was recognized by PrepVolleyball.com as an honorable mention in the American Athletic Conference.
The star-studded class includes five freshmen and a standout junior in outside hitter
Jac'cara Walker. The Gainesville, Fla., native collected 712 kills, 369 digs, 54 blocks and 55 aces in the past two seasons at Marshall. Prior to college, Walker was named the 2015 Gatorade Florida Player of the Year as a senior at P.K. Yonge.
"She had a great spring with us and she's the total package," Draper said. "She's very crafty with her shot variety offensively and plays some great defense in the back row as well."
Freshman
CC Clausen is expected to contribute early among a libero group that's quite versatile. Clausen recorded 1,763 digs for The Woodlands College Park High School and was listed as the No. 7 overall player on the FloVolleyball 2018 Class All-Team.
"
CC Clausen, a libero from Texas, has made a very big difference in our gym. There's still a lot of competition at that position, we have four liberos total, but they can be used in so many different ways," Draper said. "We're going to need a serving sub for a middle. We're going to probably need a passer to come in for an outside occasionally. There's a lot of competition in that spot, but I think CC brings something pretty special there."
Another newcomer to keep an eye on is outside hitter
Lindsey Pliapol (Daytona Beach, Fla.), who posted 1,025 career kills, 190 blocks, 968 digs and 173 aces for Spruce Creek High School.
"She's actually the No. 1 point scorer in our gym right now as a freshman outside," said Draper after practice late last week. "She just hits a heavy, heavy ball but also has lots of control to her game. She's really good on both sides, both offense and defense. I think she's going to be a really great player."
Other freshman newcomers who will push for playing time once they're totally back from injuries include setter
Lauren LaBeck (Chicago), right side hitter
Peyton Thompson (Spartanburg, S.C.) and middle blocker
Nicole Legg (Union, Ky.).
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Bulls Bits
- WATCH THE SEASON OPENER: Fans who can't make it to The Corral for the season opener can watch USF-San Jose State on BullsVision Friday at 11 a.m. Play-by-play duties will be handled by Voice of the Bulls Jim Louk.
- NEW ASSISTANT: 2018 will mark the first season at USF for assistant coach Caleb Sibert. The former USF volunteer assistant previously was the head coach at Calvary Christian High School in Clearwater since 2010 and posted a 141-62 overall record. "He actually volunteered for us in the spring and I had no idea how good he actually was until I had the chance to see him work with the players, talk philosophy in the office and things like that," Draper said. "We had a lot of interest in that position. There were some very interesting candidates that could help in a lot of different ways, but I just felt like he was truly the right fit."
- BULLS TO FACE FORMER USF PLAYER: In Friday's season opener, USF will see a familiar face in San Jose State head coach Jolene Shepardson, who played four seasons for the Bulls and graduated in 2002. Shepardson (formerly Patton) helped the Bulls win a share of two Conference USA regular season championships (2000, 2002) and guided San Jose State to a 17-12 record in 2017, her fourth season with the program.
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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. Senior defensive specialist Maria McLamb led USF with 381 digs as a junior, finishing 10th in The American with 3.89 digs per set. 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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