CINCINNATI, Ohio (November 7, 2021) – The University of South Florida Bulls (6-19, 0-14 AAC) won the opening set on Sunday afternoon at the University of Cincinnati (14-8, 9-5 AAC) only to see the Bearcats storm back with three straight set wins to claim the match, 3-1.

South Florida took the first set, 25-17, before the home team answered with wins of 25-14 and 25-12. The last three meetings between the two teams have each gone five sets, and the Bulls did all they could to extend the match, but the Bearcats prevailed in the fourth and final set, 25- 20.

Ally Barnhart (Lenexa, Kan.), Ragan Kinard (Lynn Haven) and Tizi Puljiz (Resistencia, Argentina) each floored seven kills for USF. Cincinnati had a pair of players reach double digits in the kill column as the Bearcats owned a .270 attacking percentage in the match compared to a .079 clip for the Bulls.

Cincinnati's 13 blocks played a large part in USF's offensive struggles in the setback.

The Bulls were limited to just 16 kills while committing 16 attacking errors in sets two and three while the Bearcats posted seven blocks in those games.

Alexis Williams (St. Louis, Mo.) accounted for three of USF's nine service aces in the match and also recorded a team-high 12 digs.

Madison Bragan (Tampa) dished out 14 assists to go along with eight digs and Kelsey O'Loughlin (Fort Lauderdale) tallied 11 assists and seven digs.

Amiree Hendricks-Walker (Los Angeles, Calif.) led the Bulls' net defense with three blocks.

Notable

• USF has won the first set in six of their conference losses to date.
• The Bulls posted 17 service aces over eight weekend sets.

Up Next

The Bulls return home for Alumni Weekend which begins on Thursday, Nov. 11 against SMU at 5 p.m. The weekend concludes with a Saturday matchup with Memphis at 1 p.m. at The Corral.

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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