GREENVILLE, N.C. (November 5, 2021) – All-Conference outside hitter Marta Cvitkovic (Rijeka, Croatia) registered a double-double for the fifth time this season and second time in as many matches Friday night, but it wasn't enough to carry the University of South Florida Bulls (6-18, 0-13 AAC) in a four set loss at ECU (9-14, 5-8 AAC).
The Bulls won the opening set, 25-21, before the Pirates rattled off three straight wins by set scores of 25-21, 25-22 and 25-17 to claim the match.
Cvitkovic paced South Florida with 10 kills and 11 digs for her 10th career double-double.
True freshman Tizi Puljiz (Resistencia, Argentina) floored nine kills, while fellow rookies Amanda DeWitt (Jupier) and Amiree Hendricks-Walker (Los Angeles, Calif.) tallied eight kills and a pair of blocks each. Madison Sheffield (St. Augustine), another true freshman, also logged two blocks, and Ally Barnhart (Lenexa, Kan.) led the net defense with three.
Kelsey O'Loughlin (Fort Lauderdale), Eke Denessen (Venlo, Netherlands) and Madison Bragan (Tampa) combined to dish out 39 assists to the offense.
ECU owned a .304 to .158 attacking percentage advantage in the match.
Notable
- USF has won the first set in five of their conference losses to date.
- Five different Bulls registered at least one service ace on Friday led by Puljiz with a career-high four.
Up Next
The Bulls wrap up their weekend road trip at Cincinnati on Sunday at 1 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.
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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