BROOKLYN, N.Y., SEPTEMBER 7, 2018 – The USF volleyball team continued its strong play with two four-set wins Friday to begin the Blackbird Invitational, first defeating George Washington before downing LIU Brooklyn.

The Bulls (7-1) used 12 aces to defeat the Colonials (2-5) in the first match of the day (25-18, 25-16, 20-25, 25-18). Redshirt senior middle blocker Clara Payne (Osteen, Fla.) and sophomore Jaeden Brown (Hollywood, Fla.) each had 13 kills to lead the way. Senior setter Briana Stowell (Orlando) had a double-double with 39 assists and 12 digs in the win, as she led the match with a four aces. Payne had three aces and sophomore defensive specialist Faby Ribas (Orlando) had two.  

Against the Blackbirds (3-5), USF used tremendous balance to deliver the defending NEC champs and NCAA tournament participants their first home loss since Sept. 25, 2016.

Three Bulls were in double-figure kills and four Bulls were in double-figure digs. Stowell nearly achieved a triple-double with 44 assists, a career high eight kills and nine digs. Payne paced the Bulls with career bests of 15 kills and eight digs.  

Notables

• The 7-1 start to the year ties the best eight match start since 2007.
• Payne totaled 28 kills on the day with eight blocks, hitting .366.  
• Junior outside hitter Jac'cara Walker (Gainesville, Fla.) had her third double-double of the year against the Blackbirds with 14 kills and 18 digs.
• Sophomore Nikkia Benitez (Miami) had her best match of the year and maybe career with a personal best 12 kills and 12 digs against LIU Brooklyn.
• Brown added nine kills in the second match of the day and totaled 13 blocks in the two matches.

Key Stats
80 – Three Bulls now have 80+ kills on the season. Walker leads the team with 85, followed by Brown's 83 and Payne's 80.
1 – The Bulls are one of just two teams in The American with only one loss. Houston is 8-1, followed by Cincinnati with a 6-2 record.  

Quotables
Head coach Courtney Draper on the key to success in both wins and Briana Stowell's all-around day:
"Our middles were hot all day and Briana did a great job getting everyone the perfect ball. She not only distributed well but was savvy enough to get several kills of her own."

Head coach Courtney Draper on the boost from both Jac'car Walker and Nikkia Benitez in the second match:
"It was nice to have Jac'cara at full force in the night match after being under the weather earlier in the day. Nikkia stepped up in a big way tonight. She was critical to our success and did a great job of executing the game plan." 

Up Next
The Bulls will look to win their fifth in a row when they conclude the Blackbird Invitational against Holy Cross Saturday at noon.    

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 10^th 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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