TAMPA, Fla., November 21, 2024 – With the celebration still fresh from Sunday's finale, the USF volleyball program has earned the accolades of its regular-season championship for the American Athletic Conference, the program's first outright league title since 2002.
 
But its work has just begun.
 
The No. 1-seeded Bulls (18-9, 14-2) will travel to Wichita, Kansas for the AAC Tournament, which carries an automatic NCAA Tournament bid for the champion. USF opens Friday against the No. 8 UAB Blazers.
 
"Our objective is peaking at the end of the year,'' head coach Jolene Shepardson said. "From the very beginning, we knew how we were going to train mentally, physically, and emotionally. I'm happy to say if you look at the last two matches, I think we're working in the right direction.
 
"We've never been in a conference tournament (recently). So peaking at the end, from the summer through the day they arrived here, our girls embraced it. They have big dreams and big goals. We've been training not just for the short term, but the long term, and our players were growing in our gym every day. We are motivated to play our best, so I think we're going to have a fun, fun conference tournament.''
 
Shepardson, a stalwart on USF's last conference-title team in 2002, was faced with many complications when she returned to her alma mater as head coach in 2020. Her first fall season was canceled by COVID-19 and adjusted to an abbreviated spring slate. In all, Shepardson's first three seasons produced a 23-52 mark.
 
But then the fortunes began changing.
 
The Bulls were 22-12 last season when they captured an AAC East Division title and reached the National Invitational Volleyball Championship's final-four round.
 
And now they are outright champions.
 
"I appreciate Michael Kelly (USF vice president for athletics) believing in me,'' Shepardson said. "He said he saw the confidence. I think the only way I was able to be resilient was to look at myself in the mirror and say, 'Hey, why am I here?' It was to inspire these young women through the hard (times). But it was a gut check.
 
"We have gone through the hard, mostly behind the scenes, and it has been so rewarding to see these young women be resilient to fight for their dreams and what they want to accomplish here. It's been a lot of work — and we're still a work in progress — but my heart is very elated to accomplish this (championship).''
 
Shepardson saluted her players, pointing out the developing leadership of Maria Clara Andrade, the tenacity of Lia Schneider, the stability of Tizi Puljiz, and the loyalty of Makayla Washington, a player upon Shepardson's arrival who now serves as an assistant coach.
 
Shepardson said she was gratified to add transfers such as Samiha Foster, Ally Cavanaugh, Naiya Sawtelle, Caroline Dykes, and Imani Hartfield, who each made a difference.
 
"We're constantly looking for the right player and right person to fit our culture,'' Shepardson said. "We had kids who transferred in because they believed in what we had here and what we were going to build together. It's like a puzzle with all the right people and the right pieces in place. And it's a masterpiece.''
 
Shepardson praised the coaches who aided her development, along with her parents, Joe and Sandi, who were college coaches as well. She also remembered the influence of the legendary Carol Chalu, her volleyball coach at Tampa Prep.
 
All of those voices led to this moment in time. And Shepardson intends for it to be not an isolated moment — but an annual expectation.
 
"That's my goal here,'' Shepardson said. "Not to just win this year, but every year. With everything we have here in place at USF, there's no reason why we can't do that. I hope this is just the start of something really special.''

UP NEXT
The No. 1-seeded South Florida Bulls head to the American Conference Tournament for a rematch against the No. 8-seeded UAB Blazers on Friday, November 22, in Wichita, Kan. The first serve is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN+.
 
About USF Volleyball
Head coach Jolene Shepardson enters her fifth season at the helm of her alma mater in 2024. Named head coach on Jan. 8, 2020, Shepardson led the Bulls to a conference championship and the program's last NCAA tournament appearance as a student-athlete in 2002. South Florida won the AAC East Division title in 2023, made a postseason appearance in the NIVC, won three matches, and advanced to the Fab Four to mark the longest postseason run in program history. South Florida 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), located adjacent to the Yuengling Center on the USF campus in Tampa.
 
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