Freshmen Plaga and Cvitkovic combine for 31 kills.
TAMPA, MARCH 4, 2021 – The USF women’s volleyball team (5-4; 3-2 American) returned to The Corral for the first time in three weeks and dropped a hard-fought match with defending American Athletic Conference champion Cincinnati (5-3; 3-0 American) on Thursday.
Cincinnati took the first set before the Bulls rallied to claim the second and third sets. The Bearcats regained control of the match in the fourth set and took home the victory with a lopsided win in the fifth set to stay unbeaten in ACC play with a 3-2 victory: 25-23, 21-25, 23-25, 25-14, and 15-6.
The Bulls were led by freshman Agata Plaga (Gizycko, Poland) with 17 kills and team-best .318 hitting percentage. Freshman outside hitter Marta Cvitkovic (Rijeka, Croatia) posted 14 kills and added 10 digs while marking a new career-high with 5 service aces. Freshman Makayla Washington (Tallahassee, Fla.) led all players with 5 total blocks. Junior setter Maria Idjilov (Republic of Moldova) added 31 assists, while freshman Alexis Williams (St. Louis, MO.) also marked a new career-high 16 digs.
The Bulls took an early lead in the first set, opening up an 8-2 run to force a Cincinnati timeout. The Bearcats rallied and overtook the Bulls for a 25-23 victory. Plaga led the Bulls with six kills in the set.
Early in the second set, the Bulls used a 3-0 run with blocks from Barnhart and Cvitkovic to again open an early lead. The Bearcats closed the gap to 10-9, forcing a Bulls timeout. A Williams’ ace again caused a Bearcats timeout at 21-18. The Bulls tied things up, closing the set with a kill by Ally Barnhart (Lenexa, Kan.) for a 25-21 victory.
The third set was a close see-saw battle, but a kill from Jac St. Cin (St. Petersburg) started a 3-0 run capped with a block by Washington and a combo block by Washington and St. Cin. The Bulls forced a Bearcats timeout on at 14-10. USF used another 5-1 run with consecutive kills by Aleia Wilborn (McKinney, Texas), St. Cin, Plaga, and Cvitkovic. A solo block and an ace by Cvitkovic forced another Bearcats time out at 24-20, before USF finished off the third set 25-23, hitting .289 in the frame.
Cincinnati jumped out to a 7-1 lead early in the fourth set, forcing a Bulls’ timeout. USF continued to rally with back-to-back kills by Plaga, but Cincinnati rebuilt to 15-7 lead to force another Bulls timeout. Two Cvitkovic kills and a solo block by Wilborn brought the score to 14-19, but the Bulls couldn’t close the margin and Cincinnati took the set, 25-14.
Cincinnati took control early in the fifth set and built a 10-5 lead, forcing a Bulls timeout. The Bearcats closed out the match with a 15-6 fifth set victory. Cincinnati hit.247 in the match while the Bulls hit .184.
NOTABLE
• Marta Cvitkovic marked a new career high with 5 service aces and posted her fourth double-double on the year with 14 kills and 10 digs.
• Alexis Williams posted a new career-best 16 digs.
• Aleia Wilborn matched her career high of 4 blocks in the match.
• Masha Idjilov marked her fifth double-double on the year with 31 assists and 10 digs.
NEXT UP
The Bulls will face Cincinnati again on Saturday at 4 p.m. in The Corral. The match can be seen live on ESPN+ and hear live on the Bulls Unlimited channel on iHeart Radio.
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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