Bulls Travel to Gainesville for Gator Invitational
MATCHUPS: USF vs. No. 11 Florida // USF vs. Long Beach State // USF vs. James Madison
WHEN: Friday, Sept. 13 at noon vs. No. 11 Florida // Friday, Sept. 13 at 5 p.m. vs. Long Beach State // Saturday, Sept. 14 at 2 p.m. vs. James Madison
LOCATION: Gainesville, Fla. // Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O'Connell Center
WATCH VS. No. 11 Florida: https://es.pn/2m7Daev
LISTEN vs. No. 11 Florida: http://bit.ly/2lO26aZ
LIVE STATS: http://bit.ly/2mdCDrB
TWITTER UPDATES: @USFVolleyball
TAMPA, Sept. 12, 2019 – USF women's volleyball hits the road for the Gator Invitational, which begins Friday in the Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O'Connell Center. The Bulls will take the court against the No. 11 Gators to start the tournament on Friday at noon.
USF (3-3) jumps back into competition after a 3-1 victory North Florida at The Corral on Tuesday. During the first home win of the season, the Bulls took the first set with a close score of 25-23, which was sparked by a team high of 17 kills. The Osprey's battled back to win the second set. Rallying in the third, the Bulls offense was lifted by
Jac'cara Walker (Gainesville, Fla.) slamming a kill to tie the set, 23-23. Middle blocker
Ally Barnhart (Lenexa, Kan.) then earned an important kill to capture the third set.
Rafaela Biegelmeyer (Brazil) had a night of her own, nailing one service ace and assisting the final point of the match.
Three Bulls recorded double-digit kills in the home opener victory over UNF, including senior Walker outside hitter Lindsey Pilapol (Daytona Beach, Fla.) and
Jac St. Cin (St. Petersburg, Fla.). Walker led the offense in kills (15) and sophomore
Lauren LaBeck (Chicago) contributed to a strong offensive showing with four impressive service aces and 28 assists. Defensive specialist
CC Clausen (The Woodlands, Texas) did what she does best, digging out 16 tries coming from the Ospreys.
No. 11 Florida (2-2)
The Gators took two victories home from the Cardinal Classic, defeating No. 25 Louisville and Dayton. They followed their win streak up with 3-0 losses against No. 1 Stanford and No. 8 Minnesota. Leading the team with 56 kills is Taylor Hall, a returning sophomore and member of the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2018. Libero Allie Gregory continues to be a force on defense, totaling a team-high of 62 during the first four matches of the season.
Head coach Mary Wise is in her 29
th year at Florida and ranks as the fifth-most winning coach in Division I history. Her career includes eight NCAA Final Four appearances, 23 SEC Championships and 15 SEC Coach of the Year awards.
Long Beach State (2-4)
Long Beach State will play USF for the first time since 1998 and returns 10 letter winners from last season. The team dropped a 3-0 decision against UCLA the last time out at the Mizuno Classic. Despite the loss, Libero Hailey Harward was named to the all-Tournament team with her impressive 60 digs to hold down the defense. Leading the team in kills with 92 each on the season, outside hitters Kashauna Williams and Allison Martine have been a force.
Matt Fuerbringer finished his second season with The Beach in 2018 with an overall record of 16-13 and saw five of his players selected to the Big West All-Conference Team.
James Madison (3-3)
The Dukes look to keep their winning momentum going at the Gator Invitational, where they will face Long Beach State first on Friday morning. In the High Point Classic, James Madison swept both Furman and the tournament hosts. Senior Sarah Martin had a double-digit performance to close out the weekend, increasing her total to 113 assists on the season. Savanna Marshall currently leads the team with 87 digs.
Head coach Lauren Steinbrecher has led The Dukes for 10 seasons and has racked up an overall record of 173-98 during her time with the program. Steinbrecher was named the Virginia Sports Information Directors Coach of the Year after a monumental 2018 season with JMU, going 13-3 in CAA play and capturing the tournament title.
Notables
- The Bulls took their first match at home against the Ospreys and will return to The Corral on Sept. 20 for the USF Invitational.
- Walker, Pilapol, and St. Cin each recorded double-digit kills during the home opener.
- Sophomore Clausen continues to climb the leaderboard with a team high of 109 digs on the season, chasing the 596 she tallied last year.
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.
