FORT MYERS, Fla., September 19, 2024 – The University of South Florida women's volleyball team (4-5) fell to the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (8-2) on Thursday night to open the FGCU Homewood Suites Tournament.  
 
The Bulls lost with scores of 13-25, 26-24, 20-25, 23-25.
 
Ally Cavanaugh (Jacksonville Beach) led South Florida with 17 kills, while Maria Clara Andrade (Sao Paulo, Brazil) followed with 16. Jalynn Brown (New Smyrna Beach) tied her career-high of 10 kills to round out the double-digit performances. Andrade led with three total blocks. Tizi Puljiz (Resistencia, Argentina) and Samiha Foster (Laurel, Md.) led with two aces. For Foster, it is her fifth straight match with at least one ace and her fourth match with two aces.
 
South Florida and FGCU battled in the opening set, with FGCU holding a one-point lead, 14-13. FGCU took control of the set, scoring the next 11 points.
 
The Bulls found their game in the second set, battling the Eagles. After the Eagles took the 21-19 lead, the Bulls went on a 4-0 run to take the 23-21 lead. With the set tied at 24, Andrade scored the final three points to tie the match at one set apiece.
 
South Florida and FGCU continued to fight in the third set, tying six times before either team reached 15 points. The Eagles put some distance between them and the Bulls, but a late run by the Bulls brought them within three. FGCU took the 2-1 lead in the match.
 
The final set included ten ties, the last at 23. South Florida stayed with FGCU throughout the set, but the Eagles closed it out with three straight points.
 
NOTABLES

• Foster stretches her serving ace streak to five matches.
• Bellamy Parker (Knoxville, Tenn.) made her collegiate debut.
• Andrade and Cavanaugh have registered double-digit kills in three straight matches.
• Andrade recorded her second double-double of the season.
• Brown tied her career-high of 10 kills.

 
UP NEXT
The Bulls will continue the FGCU Homewood Suites Tournament with the No. 24 Dayton Flyers tomorrow morning. The first serve 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.