TAMPA, Fla., February 24, 2026 – South Florida beach volleyball players
Julia Panko and
Cornelia Crudu have been named Conference USA Pair of the Week following an undefeated 4–0 performance at Pair 2 during the Bulls' inaugural weekend at the Green Wave Invitational.
Panko and Crudu earned a point in all three of South Florida's team victories as the Bulls posted a 3–1 record in the program's opening weekend. The duo delivered clutch performances throughout the event, including three-set wins over New Orleans, No. 12 LSU, and Texas A&M–Corpus Christi.
The pair's most notable result came in a straight-set victory over No. 20 Tulane (21–18, 21–16). The result marked the program's first ranked victory and first Conference USA win in school history.
Across four matches, Panko and Crudu defeated two nationally ranked pairs and finished the weekend undefeated against established Division I competition. Their consistent play at Pair 2 proved critical in securing the first wins in program history during South Florida's inaugural competition.
UP NEXT
South Florida continues its first season this weekend at the Seminole Beach Bash in Tallahasse, Fla. First serve is scheduled for 9:45am on Friday, February 27
th.
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About USF Beach Volleyball
The University of South Florida Beach Volleyball program is the newest program in the now 21-team USF Athletics program. South Florida Beach Volleyball joined Conference USA on July 1, 2025. Pri Piantadosi-Lima was named South Florida's first-ever beach volleyball head coach on June 6, 2023. She also serves as the head coach of USAV Beach and the national team development program and was honored as the 2022 USA Volleyball Female Junior Coach of the Year. Before joining South Florida, Piantadosi-Lima helped launch the Eckerd College program in 2015 as an assistant coach and helped lead the program to its first AVCA national championship and two consecutive NCAA championship podium finishes.
– #GoBulls –
