TAMPA, Sept. 29, 2019 – Lindsey Pliapol (Daytona Beach, Fla.) had a game-high 10 kills and
CC Clausen (The Woodlands, Texas) added 21 digs, but USF dropped a 3-0 (17-25, 14-25, 16-25) decision to UConn Sunday afternoon at The Corral.
USF took a 7-6 lead in the first set following a ball handling error by Anna Petrova. The Huskies, however, answered with an 8-3 run to build a 14-10 lead. USF cut the deficit to two later in the match following an ace by Clausen and a kill from
Ally Barnhart (Lenexa, Kan.), but UConn scored the next five points on its way to victory.
Similar to the first set, USF and UConn went back-and-forth in the second set until the Huskies used a 12-2 run to build a 22-11 lead. Set three saw UConn jump out to an 11-5 lead before Walker pulled USF to within five with a kill to make the score 18-13. UConn scored the next two points and ended push its lead back to eight and held off USF to claim the match.
Quotable
"UConn was really, really good tonight. I was really impressed with their blocking, and to be honest, we came out flat, even through the warmup. It wasn't our typical team. We're down a couple of pieces right now, but that is not an excuse. All the other girls stepped up on Friday night and I was expecting the same today. It's disappointing that we didn't get the win today." —
Courtney Draper.
Notables
Up Next
USF continues league play on Friday at 7 p.m. with a trip to Greenville, N.C., to face ECU.
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.
