Bulls Face FGCU Friday & Saturday in The Corral
MATCHUP: USF vs. FGCU
WHEN: Friday, Jan. 29 at 4 p.m. – The Corral
Saturday, Jan. 30 at 4 p.m. – The Corral
LIVE STATS
WATCH: ESPN+ • LISTEN
USF GAME NOTES
TWITTER UPDATES: @USFVolleyball
TAMPA, JAN. 28, 2021 – The USF women's volleyball team will look to stay unbeaten on the 2020 campaign and get redemption for a 2019 loss this weekend when the Bulls face FGCU on Friday and Saturday in The Corral
Both matches are set for a 4 p.m. first serve and can be watched live on ESPN+ with live audio also available on the iHeart Radio Bulls Unlimited channel. All of USF's home matches on the 2020 campaign, moved from the fall to the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
Due to virus mitigation measures and the size of the venue, USF will have limited fan attendance via pass list only at The Corral.
This will be the ninth meeting in the series, which FGCU leads, 5-3. The Eagles posted a 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-14) victory over the Bulls in last season's Hurricane Invitational in Miami. The Bulls last win in the series came in 2013 with a 3-1 victory in The Corral.
OPPPONENT
FGCU will open its 2020 campaign vs. USF. The Eagles are the defending Atlantic Sun Conference Champions and went 27-5 last season, including a program-record 26 regular season match victories and a 14-match winning streak. They were picked as the favorite again in 2020.
Senior outside hitter Cortney VanLiew led the Eagles offensive attack vs. USF last year with 13 kills, while junior setter Chelsey Lockey had tea-highs in assists (37) and digs (13). VanLiew is the two-time defending ASUN player of the year, while junior libero Dana Axner is the two-time defending ASUN defensive player of the year, while Lockey was tabbed by the conference's head coaches to win the ASUN's setter of the year award.
The Eagles made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament two years ago and came within one set of making a return trip last year. Over the past four seasons, the program is tied with Kentucky for 11th nationally in total wins with 103.
THE BULLS
Sophomore middle blocker
Makayla Washington (Tallahassee) was named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll after leading the Bulls with 13 blocks and hitting .409 with 22 kills in the first weekend of the season. She leads The American in blocking with 1.44 per game.
Junior setter
Maria Idjilov (Republic of Moldova) quickly has assumed the Bulls leadership mantle as a team captain and vocal hub of the offense. She posted 83 assists in wins over UNF and added six kills.
Freshmen
Marta Cvitkovic (Rijeka, Croatia) and
Agata Plaga (Gizycko, Poland) led the Bulls with 25 kills each in the first weekend and Cvitkovic added a team-best seven service aces to go along with 26 digs.
ESPN+
The American Athletic Conference and ESPN began a new 12-year television rights agreement starting in 2020-21. USF will stream numerous home athletic events to ESPN+ this spring. Subscriptions for the
ESPN+ app are $5.99 monthly or $49.99 annually and can be packaged with Hulu and Disney+ streaming services. A step-by-step guide for subscribing to ESPN+ is located
here.
About USF Women's Volleyball
Head coach Jolene Shepardson begins her first season at the helm of her alma mater in 2020-21. Named head coach on Jan. 8, 2020, Shepardson led the Bulls' program to its last conference championship and NCAA tournament appearance as a student-athlete in 2002. USF made its last postseason appearance in 2018, posting 20 wins and appearing in the NIVC. USF Volleyball has made seven NCAA Tournament appearances and won 12 conference titles since its inception in 1972 and is entering its 49th campaign in 2020-21. The Bulls play in The Corral (1,000), adjacent to the Yuengling Center on the USF campus.
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.
- #GoBulls –
