DALLAS, Texas (October 24, 2021) – The University of South Florida Bulls (6-15, 0-10 AAC) concluded its weekend road trip at SMU (10-10, 6-4 AAC) on Sunday with a four-set loss to the Mustangs. The trip to Memphis and SMU capped a stretch of three straight road matches for USF.

SMU defeated South Florida on its home court by set scores of 25-16, 25-19, 23-25, 25-16.

For the second straight match on the trip, Marta Cvitkovic (Rijeka, Croatia) led all players with 15 kills. She floored 32 kills over two weekend road matches.

Amiree Hendricks-Walker (Los Angeles, Calif) tallied nine kills and Ally Barnhart (Lenexa, Kan.) followed with seven. Barnhart, Cvitkovic, Hendricks-Walker and Tizi Puljiz (Resistencia, Argentina) each recorded a pair of blocks at the net.

After dropping the first two sets, a kill by Hendricks-Walker in set three gave the Bulls a 7-6 lead and USF never trailed again in the game. A service ace by CC Clausen (The Woodlands, Texas) stretched the lead to 17-12 and sparked a three-point run. SMU battled back late to close the gap to 24-23 before Cvitkovic downed the final kill and point of the set to give USF the game.

Notable

• Cvitkovic is averaging 18 kills over her last three matches.
• Clausen led the Bulls with 10 digs followed by Alexis Williams (St. Louis, Mo.) with nine.
• Kelsey O'Loughlin (Fort Lauderdale) dished out 22 assists to the offense while Madison Bragan (Tampa) added 14.

Up Next

The Bulls return home next weekend to host Tulsa (Oct. 29) and Wichita State (Oct. 31) at The Corral in Tampa.

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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