8-1 Bulls Return Home for USF Classic
EVENT: USF Classic
DATES: Friday, Sept. 14 – Saturday, Sept. 15
USF SCHEDULE: Friday – vs. North Dakota, 11 a.m., vs. New Orleans, 7 p.m.; Saturday – vs. Charlotte, noon
LOCATION: The Corral (1,000)
TWITTER UPDATES: @USFVolleyball
WATCH: YouTube (vs. New Orleans and Charlotte)
LIVE STATS
GAME NOTES
TAMPA, SEPTEMBER 13, 2018 – The 8-1 USF volleyball team returns home for the first time since Aug. 25, looking to add to the already impressive start, as it hosts the USF Classic Sept. 14-15.
The Bulls are coming off yet another perfect 3-0 weekend after winning the Blackbird Invitational in Brooklyn, N.Y. USF defeated George Washington in four sets to begin the tournament and delivered LIU Brooklyn its first home loss in nearly two years with a four-set victory. USF took care of Holy Cross in straight sets on Saturday.
Sophomore middle blocker
Jaeden Brown (Hollywood, Fla.) was named the tournament MVP for her all-around weekend. She had 31 kills and 20 blocks, recording a career high seven in the wins against the Blackbirds and Crusaders. Brown was named The American Defensive Player of the Week on Monday.
Senior setter
Briana Stowell (Orlando) did it all in Brooklyn, recording 105 assists, 31 digs, 11 kills and seven aces. She had two double-doubles, flirted with a triple-double against LIU Brooklyn and was named to the Blackbird Invitational All-Tournament team.
Redshirt senior
Clara Payne (Osteen, Fla.) joined Brown and Stowell on the all-tournament team in Brooklyn, leading USF with 34 kills over the three matches.
Nota-Bulls
- Head coach Courtney Draper needs just two more wins to reach 100 career victories at USF.
- The 8-1 start is the best for the program since 1996, when the Bulls began the year 11-1.
- Freshman libero CC Clausen (The Woodlands, Texas) leads The American and is 20th nationally with 194 digs this season.
- The Bulls lead The American and are 27th in the country with 17.13 digs per set. Five members of the team have 80 or more digs.
- Junior outside hitter Jac'cara Walker (Gainesville, Fla.) leads the team with 96 kills.
- Stowell has four double-doubles this season.
- Brown is second on the team with 92 kills. She's hitting .308 and leads the squad with 44 blocks.
Get to Know the Opponents
North Dakota
The defending Big Sky champs and winners of 30 matches from a season ago are led by a familiar face to USF. UConn transfer, outside hitter Kayla Williams has 149 kills this season with 15 aces. Setter Roosa Rautio leads the team with 424 assists and Taliyah Flores has a team high 147 digs.
New Orleans
The Privateers had won five-straight matches prior to Saturday, and are clicking heading into this weekend. Junior outside hitter Brianna Vega leads the team with 88 kills. Classmate and setter Sarah Thomas has 278 assists.
Charlotte
The 49ers have won five of the last seven matches, most recently a straight sets win at ECU. Senior outside hitter Reeana Richardson is ninth nationally with 180 kills on the season. The team leads the country with 119 total blocks, is third with 751 team digs and ninth with 538 assists. Reigning Conference USA Libero of the Year, junior Yumi Garcia is second in the country with 6.30 digs per set. Freshman setter Nya Steele has done a great job of facilitating the offense with 410 assists.
Promotions
The match against New Orleans at 7 p.m. is USF's "Go Gold for Childhood Cancer Awareness" game. The first 250 fans in attendance will receive a free gold rally towell, and fans are encouraged to wear gold in support of the cause.
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.
Follow the volleyball team on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.
– #GoBulls –
