QUEENS, N.Y., December 2, 2023 – Maria Clara Andrade (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and Caroline Dykes (Flower Mound, Texas) set career highs in the University of South Florida volleyball team's (21-11, 13-6 AAC) five-set comeback thriller over the St. John's Red Storm (24-11, 13-5 Big East) to advance to the NIVC Great 8.
 
This is the second Great 8 appearance for South Florida. The last appearance was in 1994 when they swept Illinois State to advance to the Final Four.
 
The Bulls won with scores of 23-25, 21-25, 25-19, 27-25, and 16-14.
 
Along with Andrade's 28 kills, Buse Hazan (Istanbul, Turkey) and Marta Cvitkovic (Rijeka, Croatia) combined for 27 kills. Hazan finished with 17, while Cvitkovic followed with 10. Hazan also had 10 digs for her eighth double-double this season and four service aces to lead the match. Dykes dished out 60 assists for a new career high.
 
The Bulls and Red Storm opened the match trading points back and forth. St. John's 4-1 run gave them the four-point lead. The Bulls battled back to tie the set at 20. Both teams tied again at 23, but St. John's scored the last two to take a one-set lead.
 
St. John's jumped out to a dominant lead in the second set. South Florida battled back to come within one, but St. John's took set two.
 
With the end of their season in sight, the Bulls kept within reach of the Red Storm before tying the set at 18. From there, South Florida found their momentum and took the third set.
 
The Bulls kept their momentum in the fourth set, holding the lead for most of the set. St. John's battled back and tied the set at 22. After traded points, South Florida scored three straight points to force a fifth set.
 
The Bulls opened the final set with three straight points. The Red Storm answered with a 6-3 run to tie the match at six. It was a back-and-forth battle from there with both teams tying at 14. A Hazan kill and a St. John's error completed the comeback for South Florida.
 
NOTABLES

• Dykes need two more aces to reach 100 in her career.
• Dykes also needs 29 more assists to reach 3,000 in her career.
• As a team, the Bulls served 11 aces, the third most in a match this season.
• This is the program's first 21-win season since 2002.
• It's only the second 20+ win season in 20 years. 

 
UP NEXT
South Florida will head to Statesboro, Ga. to take on Georgia Southern in the quarterfinals of the NIVC on Thursday, December 7. The match is set for 6 p.m.
 
About USF Volleyball
Head coach Jolene Shepardson enters her fourth season at the helm of her alma mater in 2023. 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. 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.