Marta Cvitkovic matched a season best with 23 kills Saturday.
TAMPA (November 13, 2021) – On the final day of Alumni Weekend, with numerous former Bulls in attendance at The Corral on Saturday, the University of South Florida (7-20, 1-15 AAC) triumphed over Memphis (12-16, 5-11 AAC) in four sets. Marta Cvitkovic (Rijeka, Croatia) powered the home team by matching a season high with 23 kills.
True freshman Ragan Kinard (Lynn Haven) floored a career-best 17 kills, including nine in the final set to give South Florida its first AAC win of the season.
Picked to finish seventh in the 11-team conference race during the preseason after an impressive showing with a young roster last year, the Bulls have been on the wrong side of too many close matches and heartbreakers this season during AAC play, and finally snapped a frustrating skid on Saturday in front of a lively crowd.
In 15 conference matches this season, USF has only fallen in straight sets three times, and has gone toe-to-toe with every opponent its been lined up against. Saturday’s win was a payoff the Bulls’ continued fight and effort night in and night out in competition, and all season long on the practice court.
USF previously dropped its last matchup with the Memphis Tigers earlier this season on the road after rallying from a 2-0 deficit before falling in extra pints of the fifth sets.
South Florida took a 2-0 lead in the match against Memphis on Saturday with set scores of 27-25 and 25-17, before narrowly being edged in the third set, 25-23. All too familiar with seeing matches slip away, the Bulls, behind Cvitkovic and Kinard refused to let this one get away with a 25-23 win in the fourth set.
USF downed 16 kills with only three attacking errors in the final set to record a .289 hitting percentage, its best of the match when it mattered most.
Amanda DeWitt (Jupiter) and Tizi Puljiz (Resistencia, Argentina), both also true freshman, each floored seven kills in the match. The duo also had four blocks apiece at the net.
Notable
- Cvitkovic notched her seventh double-double of the year with 10 digs to go along with her 23 kills. She has four matches with at least 20 kills this season.
- Alexis Williams (St. Louis, Mo.) was one of five players with double digits in digs, leading the way with 19 after recording a career-best 22 on Thursday.
- Kelsey O’Loughlin matched a career high with 52 assists in the win on Saturday.
Up Next
The Bulls are slated for their final installment this season of the War On I-4 with UCF on Wednesday, November 17 in Orlando at 7 p.m.
About USF Volleyball
Head coach Jolene Shepardson enters her second season at the helm of her alma mater in 2021-22. 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 and is entering its 50th campaign in 2021-22. 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.
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