The South Florida Bulls begin four-straight home stand against the Dolphins on Tuesday.
MATCHUP: USF vs. Indiana & Stetson
WHEN: Friday, Sept. 20 vs. Indiana at 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 21 vs. Indiana at 2 p.m. & vs Stetson at 7 p.m.
LOCATION: The Corral
TWITTER UPDATES: @USFVolleyball
TAMPA, Sept. 20, 2019 – The USF women’s volleyball team will face the Indiana Hoosiers and Stetson Hatters as part of USF Invitational action Friday and Saturday in The Corral.
USF (4-6) defeated Jacksonville on Tuesday in five thrilling sets to capture the Bull’s second straight home win. Leading the team was senior Jac’cara Walker (Gainesville, Fla.), who posted 16 kills to improve to 120 kills on the season.
Several underclassmen posted strong numbers against the in-state foe, including sophomore Lauren LaBeck (Chicago, Ill.) with 42 assists and sophomore Nicole Legg (San Antonio, Tx.), who tallied 12 kills and a team-best .857 hitting percentage. Offensively, freshman Jac St. Cin (St. Petersburg, Fla.) added 10 kills against the Dolphins. Aly Barnhart (Lenexa, Kan.) had eight massive blocks during the match. Anchoring the defense was sophomore Lindsey Pliapol (Daytona Beach, Fla.), who had a team-high of 21 digs. Pliapol leads the Bulls in kills (138) and has 102 digs on the year.
Indiana (RV) (8-2)
The Hoosiers feature senior middle blocker Deyshia Lofton, a 2018 All-Big Ten Second Team honoree, alongside freshmen defensive specialist Haley Armstrong, a newcomer who leads the team with 97 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Breana Edwards has totaled a team-high of 141 kills this season and will take the court alongside junior defensive specialist Bayli Lebo who broke the Indiana single-season record for digs with 525 in 2018.
Indiana’s latest victory came at No. 15 Kentucky, the program’s first non-conference ranked win since 1998. During the Bluegrass Battle Tournament, the Hoosiers went 3-0 with additional wins over Florida Gulf Coast and Cleveland State.
Head coach Steve Aird is in his second year with the Hoosiers and led the program to an overall record of 16-15 and a 7-13 record in Big Ten play in his first season.
Stetson (2-5)
The Hatters will showcase junior defensive specialist Chelcie Spence, who enters the upcoming invitational with 971 career digs, looking to achieve the 1,000-dig milestone. Senior Eva Deisa has recorded double-digit digs in all seven matches and leads the team with 75 kills, 92 digs, and an impressive 14 service aces so far this season. Senior setter Emily DeStaffino leads the team in assists with 178.
Last week, Stetson competed in the JSU Gamecock Classic and went 1-2. The Hatters achieved their first win over an SEC opponent in 34 years, coming off a 3-2 victory against Mississippi State.
Head coach Yang Deng is in her third season with Stetson after coming off a 17-year coaching career at Missouri.
Notables
- The Bulls will face Indiana for the second and third time in the program’s history. USF leads 1-0 after a win in 1996.
- USF looks to improve on their 38 wins and 3 losses against Stetson during the 42nd meeting between the teams.
- Freshmen Barnhart and St. Cin lead the Bull’s in blocks with 35 and 20, respectively.
- LaBeck has recorded 249 assists this season, well on pace to surpass her assist total of 474 from last year.
Tickets purchases will get you into the tournament for the entire day ($10 for adults, $7 for youth) and can be purchased at USFBullstix.com or by calling 1-800-GoBulls.
About USF Women’s Volleyball
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.
Head coach Courtney Draper led her team to 20 wins in 2018, the most in her time at USF and the most for the program since 2002. The Bulls appeared in the NIVC, the program’s first postseason trip since 2002. Senior outside hitter Jac’cara Walker led USF with 394 kills and recorded her 1000thcareer kill during the 2018 year, on her way to earning first team All-American Athletic Conference honors. USF returns four starters, including its libero, while welcoming 9 newcomers to the fray in 2019 in the form of two transfers and seven freshmen.
-#GoBulls-
