Volleyball opens homestand with Tulane & Houston
MATCHUP: USF vs. Tulane & Houston
SCHEDULE: Friday, Oct. 8 vs. Tulane at 7 p.m. & Sunday, Oct. 10 vs. Houston at 1 p.m.
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TAMPA (October 7, 2021) – The University of South Florida Bulls (6-9, 0-4 AAC) return home to The Corral this weekend to open a three-match homestand. Play begins on Friday at 7 p.m. vs. Tulane (10-6, 3-1 AAC) and the weekend wraps up against Houston (13-3, 3-1 AAC) on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The homestand concludes on Wednesday, Oct. 13 with a War On I-4 battle against UCF. That match will be played in the Yuengling Center.
The Bulls enter the weekend looking to shake off a four-match skid and notch their first conference win of the season. USF opened AAC play at home two weeks ago and went on the road to Tulsa and Wichita State last weekend.
Marta Cvitkovic (Rijeka, Croatia), a unanimous 2021 Preseason All-Conference selection, leads the Bulls and ranks fifth in the AAC in kills/set (3.17) this season. Cvitkovic has tallied 214 kills, including two matches with 20 this year (five in her career).
True freshmen Amanda DeWitt (Jupiter) ranks second on the team with 102 kills and Tizi Puljiz (Resistencia, Argentina) has floored 98 on the year.
Eke Denessen (Venlo, Netherlands) and Kelsey O'Loughlin (Fort Lauderdale) have split setter duties this season and have each dished out over 200 assists to the offense.
Alexis Williams (St. Louis, Mo.) has recorded 22 service aces (new career high) on the season to lead the team and rank second in the AAC in aces/set (0.41). The Bulls collectively rank third in the conference with 1.63 aces/set.
True freshman Amiree Hendricks-Walker (Los Angeles, Calif.) has totaled 51 blocks this season. Puljiz (40) and Ally Barnhart (Lenexa, Kan.) with 35 have each contributed to the net defense. USF ranks fourth in the league in team blocks/set (2.33).
CC Clausen (The Woodlands, Texas) has a team-best 225 digs and sixth in the AAC in digs/set (4.17). The libero enters the weekend with 1,447 career digs and is 16 away from claiming sole possession of second place on the program's all-time leaderboard.
Scouting Tulane
The Green Wave and Bulls played twice in Tampa last season and split the matches. USF swept the opener before Tulane took the finale, 3-1.
The Green Wave have four players with over 100 kills, led by Michelle Urquhart (157). She also leads the AAC in total aces (26). Anna Davis (.327) and Kayla Dinkins (.318) rank fifth and sixth, respectively in the league in hitting percentage.
Collectively, Tulane ranks second in the AAC in hitting percentage (.234). The Green Wave rank last in the conference in digs/set (12.95).
Scouting Houston
The Cougars and Bulls did not play during the abbreviated 2020 campaign. Houston will travel to Orlando on Friday to face UCF prior to the weekend finale in Tampa.
Houston leads the league in opponent hitting percentage (.179), ranks third in kills (11.95/set), fourth in hitting percentage (.222) and third in blocks (2.35/set). The Cougars also lead the AAC in aces/set (1.94).
Abbie Jackson ranks third in the league in kills/set (3.81) and is sixth in the country in total attacks (737). Rachel Tullos leads the net defense with 73 blocks and ranks third in the AAC in blocks/set (1.18). Kate Georgiades patrols the back row and ranks seventh nationally with 334 digs.
Up Next
The Bulls will move from The Corral to the Yuengling Center for a War On I-4 clash with UCF on Wednesday, October 13 at 7 p.m.
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.
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