TALLAHASSEE, Fla., August 31, 2024 – The University of South Florida volleyball team (0-2) fell to the No. 25 Georgia Bulldogs (2-0) in straight sets on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Bulls lost with scores of 15-25, 20-25, and 21-25.
 
Transfer Ally Cavanaugh (Jacksonville Beach) showed out against her former team, leading with 11 kills on 17 attempts. Naiya Sawtelle (Stuart) led the Bulls with two service aces. Caroline Dykes (Flower Mound, Texas) finished with 22 assists. Samiha Foster (Laurel, Md.) led the team with 11 digs.
 
Georgia took the opening set 25-15, holding the Bulls to nine kills.
 
South Florida found momentum in the second set, going on a 7-0 scoring run to take the 10-3 lead. Sawtelle led with two aces and a kill during the run. Georgia bounced back and took the second set 25-20.
 
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 14-8 lead. South Florida went on a late 6-1 run to bring the Bulls within three points. Georgia took the final set 25-21.
 
NOTABLES

• Sawtelle brings her career ace total to 91. She and Lia Schneider (St. Charles, Ill.) lead the team with two this season.
• Cavanaugh led with 11 kills. She leads the team with 19 through two matches.
• Dykes brings her career assist total to 3,078.

  
UP NEXT
South Florida will close the Seminole Invitational tomorrow morning with a match against UC Santa Barbara. The match is set for 11 a.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.