Bulls open AAC play at home with Cincinnati & ECU
MATCHUP: USF vs. Cincinnati & ECU
SCHEDULE: Friday, Sept. 24 vs. Cincinnati & Sunday, Sept. 26 vs. ECU
FOLLOW: Live Stats I Twitter updates @USFVolleyball
WATCH: ESPN+
MATCH NOTES: PDF
TAMPA (September 23, 2021) – The University of South Florida Bulls (6-5) return home to The Corral to open American Athletic Conference play this weekend against the University of Cincinnati (5-3) and ECU (4-5). The Bulls host the Cincinnati Bearcats on Friday, September 24 at 7 p.m. and wrap up the homestand on Sunday, September 26 at 1 p.m. versus the ECU Pirates.
The Bulls concluded their non-conference slate last weekend with a pair of wins at the Stetson Invitational. USF enters conference play having won five of their last six matches.
Marta Cvitkovic (Rijeka, Croatia), a unanimous 2021 Preseason All-Conference selection, leads the Bulls and ranks seventh in the AAC in kills/set (3.21). True freshmen Amanda DeWitt (Jupiter) and Tizi Puljiz (Resistencia, Argentina) have each floored at least 70 kills 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 125 assists to the offense.
Alexis Williams (St. Louis, Mo.) has recorded 18 service aces (already a new career high) on the season to lead the team. The Bulls collectively rank second in the conference with 1.71 aces/set.
True freshman Amiree Hendricks-Walker (Los Angeles, Calif.) has totaled 38 blocks and ranks eighth in the league in blocks/set (1.03). CC Clausen (The Woodlands, Texas) leads the back row with 161 digs and ranks sixth in the AAC in digs/set (4.24).
Clausen enters the weekend fourth on USF's all-time digs list with 1,383 in her career. The junior libero is 58 digs away from taking sole possession of third-place in the record books.
Scouting Cincinnati
The Bearcats enter Friday's match riding a four-match winning streak. During the abbreviated 2020 campaign, Cincinnati claimed a pair of hard-fought victories in five sets each over USF in Tampa.
Cincinnati's Maria Mallon is the reigning AAC Offensive Player of the Week after flooring 34 kills over two wins last weekend. Mallon leads the team with 113 kills and ranks fifth in the AAC in kills/set (3.42). Collectively, the Bearcats lead the AAC in kills/set (13.58)
Payton Frederick was named to last week's AAC Honor Roll after recording 35 digs over two matches. The libero ranks 10th in the AAC this season with 3.42 digs/set. Adria Oliver leads the Bearcats with 40 blocks at the net.
Scouting ECU
The Pirates will play at UCF Friday before Sunday's weekend finale in Tampa. The Bulls defeated ECU twice in Greenville last season by scores of 3-1 and 3-2.
Natalie Tyson leads the ECU offense with 80 total kills. Tia Shum patrols the back row with 99 kills on the season and Amelia Davis has a team-best 28 blocks at the net. Davis also leads the Pirates with a .278 hitting percentage which ranks 16th in the league.
Up Next
The Bulls head on the road next weekend for AAC matches at Tulsa (Oct. 1) and Wichita State (Oct. 3).
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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