STATESBORO, Ga., December 7, 2023 – Caroline Dykes (Flower Mound, Texas) recorded her 3,000^th career assist in the University of South Florida volleyball team's (22-11, 13-6 AAC) sweep over the Georgia Southern Eagles (23-9, 10-6 Sun Belt) on Thursday night in Hanner Fieldhouse.
 
Maria Clara Andrade (Sao Paulo, Brazil) finished with 22 kills, her seventh 20+ kill performance this season. She tacked on 12 digs for her ninth double-double of the season. Tizi Puljiz (Resistencia, Argentina) led the team with three total blocks. Miya Thomas (Gainesville) led the match with 14 digs and four service aces, a new career mark for the freshman.  
 
South Florida and Georgia Southern came out ready to battle. The Bulls went on a 5-2 run in the middle of the set to grow their lead to 13-9. The Eagles found the momentum needed to come back and take the 20-18 lead. A quick timeout out from the Bulls allowed them to refocus and tie the set at 21. A huge block and kill by Andrade forced Georgia Southern to take both timeouts and put South Florida at set point. Andrade ended the set with her ninth kill, one more than the Eagles had as a team at that point.
 
South Florida cruised through the second set, holding Georgia Southern to 12 points. It's the fourth-fewest points in a set this season for the Eagles. The Bulls scored nine straight in the set, the longest run of the match, and Andrade once again produced nine kills.
 
The Bulls jumped out to a 10-7 lead over the Eagles early in the final set. Georgia Southern went on a 4-0 run to take a 17-14 lead. South Florida responded with its own run to take back the one-point lead, 18-17. The Eagles tied the set at 24, but Puljiz came up with a big block, followed by a kill to send South Florida to the NIVC Fab 4 for the second time in program history.
 
NOTABLES

• This was the third time Georgia Southern was swept this season. In both cases its top hitter Reagan Barth was out with injury; on Thursday she played and led the Eagles with 11 kills. 
•  Dykes finished with 37 assists, surpassing the 3,000-assist mark in her career.
• South Florida's defense held Georgia Southern's offense to a .170 hitting percentage.
• This is only the second Fab 4 appearance for the Bulls. The last time the Bulls made it this far was in 1994.
• South Florida's .377 hitting percentage was the fourth highest this season. The Bulls went .517 in the middle set; at 18-7 the clip was an unreal .750. 

 
 
UP NEXT
South Florida will travel to El Paso, Texas to take on the UTEP Miners for the second time in program history. The match is set for Sunday, December 10 at 3:30 p.m. (E.T.)
 
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.