TAMPA, Fla., September 29, 2024 – For the first time since 2016, the University of South Florida women's volleyball team (6-7, 2-0 AAC) swept the East Carolina Pirates (8-4, 1-1 AAC) on Sunday afternoon to improve to 2-0 in conference play. It is the first three-set match between the two squads since 2019.
 
The Bulls won with scores of 25-21, 25-23, 25-20.
 
Maria Clara Andrade (Sao Paulo, Brazil) led the match with 16 kills, the only player in double-digits and her seventh straight match with double-digit kills. Caroline Dykes (Flower Mound, Texas) dished out 33 assists, surpassing the 3,500 mark in her career.
 
Tizi Puljiz (Resistencia, Argentina) had two blocks in the match, one away from 200 in her career. Imani Hartfield (Sanford) led with three blocks, one solo, and two assists. Lia Schneider (St. Charles, Ill) led the Bulls with 13 digs.
 
 
South Florida and East Carolina came into the match ready to battle. The last three-set match between the two teams was back in 2019 when the Pirates swept the Bulls in Greenville. The first set included nine ties, the last at 18. The Bulls went on a 7-3 run to take set one.
 
The Bulls settled in and took control of the second set, quickly taking the 21-15 lead and holding the Pirates to a -.148 hitting percentage. The Pirates put pressure on the Bulls, closing the gap to one point. Naiya Sawtelle's (Stuart) sixth kill of the match ended the set to give South Florida the two-set lead.
 
After a 66-second rally, Andrade tied the third set at four. South Florida and East Carolina continued to trade points, tying 11 times for a match total of 24. The Pirates had a one-point lead, but a kill from Andrade started an 8-2 run to give the Bulls a 20-16 lead. South Florida closed out the match with a 3-0 run.
 
NOTABLES

• Andrade stretched her double-digit performance streak to seven matches.
• Puljiz is one block away from reaching the 200 mark in her career.
• Dykes surpassed the 3,500 assist mark.
• The Bulls stretch their win streak over the Pirates to three.
• This is the first Bulls sweep over the Pirates since 2016.
• This is the first three-set match between the two squads since 2019.

 
UP NEXT
South Florida will head north for its first conference road trip of the 2024 season. The Bulls will travel to Philadelphia to battle the Temple Owls on Friday at 6 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.