TAMPA, SEPT. 26, 2025 – USF Athletics standouts Maria Clara Andrade (women's volleyball) and Sammie Puisis (women's basketball) have been recognized as nominees for the NCAA's Woman of the Year award.
 
Andrade was named the American Conference Player of the Year and an AVCA All-American in 2024 as she led the Bulls to an American Conference regular-season championship. Andrade led the team with 507 points, recording 453 kills while starting all 29 matches and helping the Bulls to a 19-10 record, including a 14-2 mark in conference play. She also earned CSC Academic All-District honors.
 
Puisis, a USF graduate, earned American Conference First Team honors as she ranked fifth nationally with 106 three-pointers made and led the Bulls, scoring 15.2 points per game while adding 3.4 rebounds. She helped lead the Bulls to an American Conference Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance.
She scored 34 points in a regular-season win over Memphis, making six three-pointers, and 28 in a first-round NCAA Tournament loss to No. 5-seed Tennessee. Puisis led all scorers with 23 points in the Bulls' upset of No. 9/10 Duke, for which she was named the USBWA National Player of the Week. At the end of the year, she earned invitations to the State Farm College 3-Point Championship and the Lily Women's College All-Star Game.
 
USF women's volleyball and Andrade continue action in their 2025 season when they take on ECU in The Corral on Friday at 6 p.m. The USF women's basketball team opens its 2025-26 campaign on Monday, Nov. 3, in the Yuengling Center when they take on FIU in a 6 p.m. tip.

About USF Athletics
USF Athletics sponsors 21 varsity teams, with 20 competing at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference, including the recent additions of women's lacrosse and women's beach volleyball. The Bulls' athletic program, founded in 1965, celebrates its 60^th season in 2025-26.
Nearly 500 student-athletes train and compete in the Tampa General Hospital Athletics District on the east end of USF's Tampa campus. The Bulls have won 154 conference titles across 16 sports, with 82 men's championships and 72 women's championships. Men's tennis and men's soccer lead with 20 titles each, while women's programs have been headlined by women's tennis (14) and volleyball (13). Since joining the American Athletic Conference in 2013, USF has secured 36 conference team titles.
 
Academically, USF student-athletes have achieved a program record of 21 consecutive semesters with a combined GPA of 3.0 or above as of spring 2025. Since 2015, more than 800 Bulls have earned their degrees.
 
Follow South Florida Athletics
For the latest updates from USF Athletics, visit GoUSFBulls.com. Follow USF Athletics on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
 
Get your tickets today!
Call 1-800-GO-BULLS (1-800-462-8557) or email BullsTickets@usf.edu to claim your season or single-game tickets. You can also download the USF Bulls app on the Android or Apple stores to purchase tickets and parking. Visit USFBullsTix.com for more information.