CHARLOTTE, N.C., November 8, 2024 – Caroline Dykes became the 16^th active DI setter to surpass the 4,000 assists mark in the University of South Florida volleyball team's (15-9, 11-2 AAC) sweep over the Charlotte 49ers (5-21, 2-11 AAC) to remain on top of the AAC.
 
The Bulls won with scores of 25-17, 25-22, 25-21.
 
At the end of the match, the Bulls currently hold sole possession of the top of the AAC. Rice hosts Wichita State tonight at 7 p.m. (ET). South Florida also has a two-match lead over East Carolina after the Pirates lost to Tulsa tonight. The Bulls battle the Pirates on Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
Ally Cavanaugh led the Bulls with 13 kills tonight. Maria Clara Andrade followed with 11 kills, bringing her double-digit kill streak to 18 matches. Naiya Sawtelle rounded out the double-digit kills with 10. She stretched her double-digit kill streak to 10 matches.   
 
Caroline Dykes dished out 34 assists, bringing her career total to 4,009. She becomes the 16^th active DI setter to surpass the mark. Syd Cole from Northern Colorado also surpassed 4,000 assists yesterday. Livia Niu made her collegiate debut and recorded three assists.
 
Lia Schneider's 20 digs stretched her double-digit dig streak to 10 matches.
 
As a team, the Bulls served 12 aces, the third most this season. Earlier this season against the Niners, the Bulls set a season-high of 14 aces. Tizi Puljiz, Dykes, and Andrade led the Bulls with three aces.
 
South Florida opened the first set on a 7-0 run, with three points coming from Hartfield. The Bulls served six aces in the first set, eight away from tying their season-high set against the Niners earlier this season.
 
The second frame was a slow start for the Bulls, with the Niners taking a four-point lead. Charlotte grew its lead to six points, 20-14, but South Florida closed the set out on an 11-3 run to take the two-set lead in the match.
 
Charlotte kept close to South Florida in the final set, holding the Bulls lead to four points at most. With both teams tied at 19, the Bulls held the Niners to two more points before taking the match.
 
NOTABLES

• The Bulls have sole possession of the top of the American Athletic Conference.
• Dykes surpassed the 4,000-assist mark.
• The Bulls need two more conference wins to match last season's win total. 
• Andrade stretched her double-digit kill streak to 18 matches, Sawtelle to 10, and Schneider stretched her double-digit dig streak to 10.
• Six Bulls served at least one ace, while three served three. 

  
UP NEXT
South Florida will close out the weekend on Sunday at 1 p.m. with a battle against the East Carolina Pirates.  
 
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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