TALLAHASSEE, Fla., August 30, 2024 – The University of South Florida volleyball team (0-1) fell to the No. 20 Florida State Seminoles (1-0), 3-0, on Friday night for the season opener.
 
Maria Clara Andrade (Sao Paulo, Brazil), Naiya Sawtelle (Stuart), and Ally Cavanaugh (Jacksonville Beach) led with eight kills. Caroline Dykes (Flower Mound, Fla.) dished out 25 assists, bringing her career total to 3,056. Lia Schneider (St. Charles, Ill.) served the first ace of the season in the third set.
 
The Bulls lost with scores of 25-22, 25-14, and 25-15.
 
South Florida stuck with Florida State throughout set one, the largest lead being four points. Andrade scored the first point of the match and the season. FSU was four points away from taking set one, but four straight points from the Bulls tied the set at 21. The Seminoles took set one, 25-22.
 
Florida State took control of the second set, 25-14, outhitting the Bulls .519% to .065%.
 
South Florida took the early 7-3 lead in the third set, led by Andrade who had three of the seven points. Freshman Amelia Wass de Czege (Tallahassee) scored her first collegiate point in her hometown. The Seminoles battled back and took the final set 25-15.
 
NOTABLES

• Three Bulls led with eight kills.
• Dykes career assists total is 3,056.
• Schneider served the first ace of the season.
• Andrade and Schneider led with eight digs.
• Cavanaugh and Andrade led with 8.5 points.

 
UP NEXT
South Florida will continue the Seminole Invitational tomorrow with a match against No. 25 Georgia Bulldogs at 1 p.m.
 
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' program to its last conference championship and NCAA tournament appearance as a student-athlete in 2002. Earning the AAC East Division title in 2023, South Florida made a postseason appearance in the NIVC, winning three games and advancing 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.
 
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.