PHILADELPHIA, PA., November 2, 2023 – Sophomore outside hitter Maria Clara Andrade (Sao Paulo, Brazil) set a new career-high of 24 kills in the University of South Florida volleyball team (14-10, 8-5 AAC) five-set win over the Temple Owls (15-10, 5-8 AAC) on Thursday night.
The Bulls won with scores of 20-25, 29-27, 25-18, 21-25, and 15-5.
Andrade was joined by Marta Cvitkovic (Rijeka , Croatia) and Buse Hazan (Istanbul, Turkey) for double-digit kills. Cvitkovic followed Andrade with 17, while Hazan finished with 14. Hazan and Andrade also finished with a double-double. Caroline Dykes (Flower Mound, Texas) dished out 52 assists. Freshman libero Miya Thomas tied Hazan with 15 digs to lead the team. Niki Khoshatefeh (Temecula, Calif.) and Hazan had two solo blocks.
South Florida fell behind early with Temple taking a 13-7 lead. The Bulls closed the gap, but the Owls took set one.
The Bulls were off to a slow start in set two but closed the gap to one with a 6-1 run. Temple was two points away from taking a two-set lead, but South Florida battled back and tied the set at one each.
South Florida carried the late momentum from set two into set three. The Bulls’ late 6-2 run increased their lead to five points. South Florida cruised through the remainder of the set, holding Temple to five kills.
The Bulls and Owls traded points throughout the entirety of the fourth set. Temple went on a late 7-2 run to close out the fourth set and send it to extra volleyball.
South Florida came out on fire in the final set, taking an 8-5 lead. From there, it was all Green and Gold as the Bulls closed out the match with a 7-0 run.
NOTABLES
- South Florida’s defense held Temple to five points on the fifth set, the least amount of points this season.
- The Bull’s 70 kills in the match ties a season high. The other time was on October 15 when the Bulls defeated Charlotte 3-1.
- South Florida is closing in on ECU, who leads the East Division. The two will go head-to-head next week.
- The Bulls set a new season high of five solo blocks. Their previous high was four against Mercer.
UP NEXT
South Florida will end their weekend with a 12 p.m. match against the Temple Owls tomorrow.
About USF Volleyball
Head coach Jolene Shepardson enters her fourth season at the helm of her alma mater in 2023. 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. USF made its last postseason appearance in 2018, posting 20 wins and appearing in the NIVC. USF 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), 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.
– #GoBulls –
