Cvitkovic and Washington combine for 38 kills
TAMPA, FEB. 12, 2021 – The USF women’s volleyball team (3-2; 1-0 American) opened American Athletic Conference play with a thrilling five-set victory over Temple (4-1; 0-1 American) Friday in The Corral in the Bulls’ annual Ace Cancer game supporting the fight to end cancer.
USF jumped to an early lead by taking set one, but then saw the Owls take a close second set and heat up to claim set three before the Bulls rebounded with close victories in sets four and five for a 25-22, 21-25, 6-25, 26-24, 17-15 victory. USF improved to 3-5 overall in American Athletic Conference openers, downing Temple for the second straight year in the opening conference match.
The Bulls were led by freshmen Marta Cvitkovic (Rijeka, Croatia) with 23 kills, 10 digs and two blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Makayla Washington (Tallahassee) posted 15 kills while hitting a team-best .407 and freshman Agata Plaga (Gizycko, Poland) returned from injury to post 10 kills and 14 digs. Junior setter Maria Idjilov (Republic of Moldova) added 55 assists and seven digs while sophomore Ally Barnhart (Lenexa, Kan.) had a team-best six blocks.
Temple jumped to a 6-1 lead in the first set before a pair of Washington kills ended a 6-0 run and made it 6-3. Temple led 8-4 when the Bulls reeled of a 7-0 run fueled by several Cvitkovic kills and a big Barnhart block to take an 11-8 lead. Temple ran off six-straight to take a 17-13 lead. USF tied it at 18 and then scored the last four points of the match to claim a 25-22 victory on a Cvitkovic ace.
The Bulls led 5-1 early in the second set and extended the lead to 10-4 before Temple mounted a four-point run to make it 10-8. USF extended the lead to 14-10 before Temple ran off five-straight points to take a 15-14 lead and the Owls controlled the set the rest of the way before posting a 25-21 victory.
USF struggled out of the gate in the third set and trailed 11-1 when Shepardson called her second timeout. The Bulls could never get going in the set, hitting -.250, and Temple took a -25-6 victory while hitting .500 in the frame.
A pair of Cvitkovic kills helped give the Bulls an 8-5 lead in the fourth set, but Temple rallied to tie it, 8-8. Kills by Plaga and Barnhart had the set tied again at 11. An Idjilov ace tied it at 19, but Temple scored the next two to take a 21-19 lead. A combo block from Barnhart and Plaga made it 22-21 and the Bulls trailed 24-23 following a Temple hitting error and Owls timeout. A pair of Plaga kills made it 25-24 USF and Washington gave the Bulls a 26-24 victory with her 13th kill of the match. The Bulls hit .271 in the set.
Cvitkovic’s 18th kill of the match helped the Bulls to a 7-5 lead in the fifth set. With the set tied at 9, Cvitkovic again put the Bulls back on top with a kill and a Barnhart and Jac St. Cin (St. Petersburg) block made it 11-9. Following a timeout and with the teams tied at 13, Plaga posted her 10th kill of the match. Temple tied it again at 14. USF again took a one-point lead on a Washington kill. Temple tied it again at 15, but Cvitkovic’s 23rd kill gave USF a 17-15 victory.
NOTABLE
• Marta Cvitkovic tied a career high with 23 kills on a career high 60 attacks.
• Makayla Washington posted a new career high with 15 kills.
• Agata Plaga, returning from an injury that caused her to miss the FGCU match, posted a career-best 14 digs.
• Masha Idjilov’s 55 assists marked a new career high.
NEXT UP
The Bulls and Owls will square off in a rematch Saturday at 1 p.m. in The Corral. The match can be viewed live on ESPN+.
About USF Women’s Volleyball
Head coach Jolene Shepardson begins her first season at the helm of her alma mater in 2020-21. 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 49th campaign in 2020-21. 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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