CORAL GABLES (September 5, 2021) – The University of South Florida (1-4) fell in three sets on Sunday afternoon in the conclusion of a home-and-home weekend series at the University of Miami (5-0).

The Hurricanes prevailed victoriously by set scores of 25-15, 25-23, 25-23.

True freshman Amanda DeWitt (Jupiter) paced the Bulls with a career-best 13 kills in the setback.

Despite the outcome, South Florida again played Miami closer than most of its opponents thus far this year as the Hurricanes remain undefeated on the season and are off to their best start since 2017. At home on Friday night in a four set loss, the Bulls handed Miami its first set loss of the season as the Hurricanes have swept four of their five victories to date.

After Miami breezed to a win in set one, the resilient and youthful Bulls answered with a 7-0 in the second game. USF continued to lead, 14-6, until the Hurricanes scored nine unanswered points for a 15-14 advantage.

The Bulls answered right back once again, going on a five-point run to claim a 20-16 lead, but the home team would not be denied and put together another extended run to take a 23-21 lead before closing out the set.

The third and final set again featured a number of big runs, first with USF taking another early lead, 11-5 on an eight-point outburst, but once more with Miami answering late and holding off the pesky Bulls. The Hurricanes overcame a 21-15 deficit in the game, scoring six unanswered points to knot the score and flooring four of the final five points to complete the sweep.

Notable

• Alexis Williams (St. Louis, Mo.) tallied a career-high three service aces.
• DeWitt and Ally Barnhart (Lenexa, Kan.) recorded three blocks apiece.
• USF registered just five blocks after stuffing Miami at the net 13 times on Friday.
• Marta Cvitkovic (Rijeka, Croatia) led the team with 11 digs and added nine kills.
• CC Clausen (The Woodlands, Texas) recorded eight digs and is now just two away from claiming sole possession of fourth place all-time in program history (1,300).

Up Next

The Bulls will travel to Jacksonville next weekend for three matches at the Dolphin Classic. USF plays Long Island University and Furman University on Friday, September 10 and concludes action against host Jacksonville on Saturday.

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 50^th 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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