TAMPA (October 31, 2021) – The University of South Florida Bulls (6-17, 0-12 AAC) won the opening set on Sunday afternoon against Tulsa (12-9, 7-5 AAC) and put up a tenacious defensive effort, but the Golden Hurricane came away with a four set win inside The Corral.

South Florida claimed the first set, 25-16, before Tulsa won the next three by set scores of 25-21, 25-20, 25-22.

Marta Cvitkovic (Rijeka, Croatia) recorded a double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs while Tizi Puljiz (Resistencia, Argentina) downed a team-high 12 kills. Defensively, the Bulls registered 76 digs and 12 blocks.

The Bulls took a 3-2 lead in the opening set on an ace by Kelsey O'Loughlin (Fort Lauderdale) and never trailed again. Set one featured a number of lengthy rallied early on with USF prevailing for multiple points which seemed to give the Bulls momentum in a decisive victory.

USF recorded 21 digs in set one to go along with four team blocks while holding Tulsa to a .048 attacking percentage. Amiree Hendricks-Walker (Los Angeles, Calif.) tallied four blocks assists while Puljiz paced the attack with four kills. 

After hitting .298 in the first set, the Bulls stayed hot and opened up an 8-2 run in set two to force an early Golden Hurricane timeout. Hendricks-Walker, Puljiz and Cvitkovic each floored kills during a five-point run. Tulsa answered with a 9-1 run after the timeout to take a brief lead before a back-and-forth game ensued. The set featured three lead changes and nine ties as the Golden Hurricane eventually prevailed with a four-point scoring run to secure the win.

The Golden Hurricane took a 2-1 match lead after the third set, but true freshman Amanda DeWitt (Jupiter) did everything she could for the Bulls. With Tulsa leading early in the set, DeWitt chased down a loose ball and crashed into the bench, but hustled back onto the court after extending the play and later in the same rally, floored the kill to halt a five-point scoring run by Tulsa. Later in the set, she drilled three straight points to knot the score at 13-13.

Cvitkovic put the Bulls on her back in set four with five kills, but the Golden Hurricane were able to sustain the attack and close the match in a tightly-contested game.

Notable

• USF's 76 digs on Sunday stand as a new season high.
• CC Clausen paced the Bulls with 19 digs while Bragan tallied a season-best 10 digs.
• Cvitkovic notched her fourth double-double of the season.
• O'Loughlin dished out 25 assists to the offense while Madison Bragan (Tampa) recorded 14.
• Puljiz added a team-high six blocks to go along with nine digs to her stat line.

Up Next

The Bulls head back on the road next weekend for matches at ECU (Nov. 5) and Cincinnati (Nov. 7).

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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