USF Volleyball Travels to ECU and Cincinnati for First Conference Road Tests
MATCHUP: USF at ECU
WHEN: Friday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m.
LOCATION: Greenville, N.C. // Minges Coliseum
WATCH: Friday
LIVE STATS: Friday
TWITTER UPDATES: @USFVolleyball
GAME NOTES:
USF NOTES (PDF)
MATCHUP: USF at Cincinnati
WHEN: Sunday, Oct. 6, 1 p.m.
LOCATION: Cincinnati, Ohio // Fifth Third Arena
WATCH: Sunday
LIVE STATS: Sunday
TWITTER UPDATES: @USFVolleyball
GAME NOTES: USF NOTES (PDF)
TAMPA, Oct. 3, 2019 – The USF volleyball team is set for its first pair of road tests in the American Athletic Conference this year as the Bulls face off against East Carolina on Friday, followed by a matchup at Cincinnati on Sunday.
Friday's game at ECU will mark the 16
th meeting between the programs, with the Bulls looking to improve on a 11-4 all-time record. USF will face Cincinnati on Sunday for the 35
th time. The series is led by the Bearcats 21-13.
USF (7-9, 1-1) opened AAC play on Sept. 27, with a showdown in the Corral against Temple. The victory over the Owls, 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-18), earned the Bull's their third sweep of the season. Junior setter Rafalela Biegelmeyer (Brazil, Rio Grande Do Sul) posted 35 assists during the sweep, her career high as a Bull. During the match, USF led in all categories besides service aces.
The Bulls dropped a 3-0 decision to UConn on Sept. 29. Sophomore outside hitter
Lindsey Pliapol (Daytona Beach, Fla.) led USF with 10 kills and six digs. Sophomore defensive specialist,
CC Clausen (The Woodlands, Texas), posted a team-high of 21 digs and was selected to the AAC Honor Roll.
ECU (12-3; 0-2 American)
The Pirates, who led the league with 12 nonconference wins, is coming off a 3-1 loss against Tulsa on Sept. 29. Returning to Greenville, ECU is on a five-game home winning streak.
ECU is led offensively by junior right-side hitter Bri Wood and junior outside hitter Sydney Kleinman, recording 179 and 170 kills, respectively. Redshirt-junior libero Brandee Markwith was named AAC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 16, and currently ranks fifth in the conference in total digs with 263.
Cincinnati (10-4; 2-0 American)
The Bearcats enter the contest as one of five teams left unbeaten during the opening weekend of AAC play, coming off sweeps over ECU and Wichita State.
Cincinnati features redshirt senior outside hitter Jordan Thompson, who has been selected as AAC Offensive Player of the Week three times this season, and currently leads the team, and NCAA, with 296 total kills. Thompson surpassed the previous career record of 2,137 kills, becoming the program's new all-time kill leader. Outside hitter Maria Mallon leads the team with 140 digs and has recorded 22 services aces this year.
Notables
- Head coach Courtney Draper is three wins away from capturing 120 victories with South Florida.
- Lindsey Pliapol currently leads the Bulls with 198 kills this season and is closing in on her total of 221 kills from last season.
- CC Clausen was named to the AAC Honor Roll last week after ending the week with 34 digs, improving her season total to a team-high of 268.
About USF Women's Volleyball
Be sure to follow USF women's volleyball on social media (Twitter/Instagram/Facebook) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.
Head coach Courtney Draper led her team to 20 wins in 2018, the most in her time at USF and the most for the program since 2002. The Bulls appeared in the NIVC, the program's first postseason trip since 2002. Senior outside hitter Jac'cara Walker led USF with 394 kills and recorded her 1000thcareer kill during the 2018 year, on her way to earning first team All-American Athletic Conference honors. USF returns four starters, including its libero, while welcoming 9 newcomers to the fray in 2019 in the form of two transfers and seven freshmen.
-#GoBulls-
