USF travels to Memphis and SMU this weekend
MATCHUP: USF at Memphis & SMU
SCHEDULE: Friday, Oct. 22 at Memphis (7 p.m.), Sunday, Oct. 24 at SMU (2 p.m.)
FOLLOW: Memphis Live Stats | SMU Live Stats
WATCH: ESPN+
TAMPA (October 21, 2021) – The University of South Florida Bulls (6-13, 0-8 AAC) conclude a stretch of three straight road matches this weekend at Memphis (8-12, 1-7 AAC) and SMU (9-9, 5-3 AAC). The Bulls play at Memphis on Friday, October 22 at 7 p.m. and wrap up their road trip at SMU on Sunday, October 24 at 2 p.m.
South Florida will have reached the halfway point of its conference schedule following the weekend with 10 AAC matches remaining this season.
USF enters the weekend ranked third in the AAC in blocks/set (2.27) and fourth in aces/set (1.51).
Marta Cvitkovic (Rijeka, Croatia), a unanimous 2021 Preseason All-Conference selection, leads the Bulls and ranks seventh in the AAC in kills/set (3.17). Cvitkovic has tallied 225 kills, and registered his third 20-kill match of the season (sixth of her career) last weekend at Temple.
True freshman Tizi Puljiz (Resistencia, Argentina) ranks second on the team with 142 kills followed closely by fellow rookie Amanda DeWitt (Jupiter) with 132.
Eke Denessen (Venlo, Netherlands) and Kelsey O'Loughlin (Fort Lauderdale) have split setter duties this season. O'Loughlin leads the way with 369 assists. Her 5.49 assists/set rank 11th in the league.
Cvitkovic has a team-best 27 aces while Alexis Williams (St. Louis, Mo.) has dropped 25 on the year. Both players rank inside the top eight in the league in aces/set individually.
True freshman Amiree Hendricks-Walker (Los Angeles, Calif.) has totaled 66 blocks this season. Puljiz and Ally Barnhart (Lenexa, Kan.) have each stuffed over 50 blocks at the net.
CC Clausen (The Woodlands, Texas) has a team-best 278 digs and ranks sixth in the AAC in digs/set (3.92). The libero ranks second all-time for career digs in program history and enters the weekend with Friday's match with 1,500.
Scouting Memphis
The Tigers lone conference win of the season came last month against Temple (3-1). USF dropped a five-set match at Temple last weekend. The Bulls and Tigers did not face off during the abbreviated 2020 campaign. South Florida leads the all-time series over Memphis, 21-11, and has won three of the last four meetings.
Memphis is limiting opponents to a .202 hitting percentage this season and ranks sixth in the AAC in blocks/set (2.04).
Miaya Smith leads the offense with 198 kills (2.79 kills/set). Sabrina Bianco's 9.99 assists/set lead the league. Bailey Houlihan ranks second in the conference in digs/set (4.65).
Scouting SMU
The Mustangs host UCF on Friday before the Bulls come to town on Sunday. SMU and USF also did not meet during the 2020 season. The Mustangs lead the all-time series, 9-4. South Florida's last win came in 2018.
Rachel Woulfe is the reigning AAC Offensive Player of the Week. She leads the team with 198 kills and ranks ninth in the league in kills/set (2.91). Alex Glover ranks second in the AAC in hitting percentage (.377) to go along with 119 kills.
Kaylyn Winkler (1.12) and Glover (1.00) rank fourth and fifth in the league in blocks/set, respectively.
Up Next
The Bulls return home to The Corral in Tampa for matches next weekend against Wichita State (Oct. 29) and Tulsa (Oct. 31).
About USF Volleyball
Head coach Jolene Shepardson enters her second season at the helm of her alma mater in 2021-22. 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 50th campaign in 2021-22. 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.
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