USF will get a bye week before opening conference play vs. Temple on Feb. 12
TAMPA, FLA. JAN. 30, 2021– The USF women’s volleyball team (2-2) fell to defending Atlantic Sun Conference champion FGCU (2-0) in The Corral Saturday as the Eagles claimed a pair of matches against the Bulls on the weekend, also taking a five-setter on Friday.
USF was outhit by FGCU, .327 to .189, as the Eagles posted a 3-0 victory Saturday: 22-25, 17-25, 21-25. Marta Cvitokovic (Rijeka, Croatia) led the Bulls with 17 kills and added nine digs. Makayla Washington (Tallahasee) added seven kills and three blocks. CC Clausen (The Woodlands, Texas) led the Bulls with 11 digs and Masha Idjilov (Moldova) had 31 assists and four service aces.
“I see some great things in our team and I see some things that I know we have worked on that I want to be better,” USF head coach Jolene Shepardson said. “I want them to be able to see those things and to execute them consistently. But, there are definitely some highs there. It was a great battle last night and today we didn’t come out our finest.”
FGCU jumped to an 11-6 lead in the first set. Cvitkovic began to heat up and got a pair of kills to cut the margin to 12-8. A combo block from Washington and Sara Griffith (Chicago) and another Cvitkovic kill made it 12-11. FGCU ran off four straight points to rebuild a 16-11 lead and USF called timeout. An Idjilov ace cut the margin to two, 22-20, and a Washington block cut it to one, 23-22, but FGCU stabilized and took set one, 25-22.
The Bulls took a 4-3 lead in the second on a Jac St. Cin (St. Petersburg) kill. The teams exchanged side-outs and multiple ties until FGCU ran off five straight points to take a 14-10 lead. The Bulls could not get the lead under three the rest of the way and FGCU took the set, 25-17, hitting .423 in the stanza.
USF led 5-2 in the third set after a Cvitkovic kill, but saw FGCU run off four straight points to take a 6-5 lead. USF responded and took a 9-7 lead off a St. Cin kill, but, out of a timeout, FGCU ran off four straight to take an 11-9 lead. USF responded again, and after another St. Cin kill led, 12-11. USF put together its own 4-0 run fueled by a pair of Cvitkovic kills to take an 18-15 lead, but FGCU responded with five straight points to reestablish its lead, 20-18, and closed out the match with a 25-21 set victory.
Notables
• Freshman Marta Cvitkovic led USF in kills in both matches on the weekend, posting 17 on Saturday and 40 total on the weekend. Cvitkovic now has a team-best 65 kills on the year.
• Freshman Makayla Washington hit a team-best .333 on the day, posting seven kills on 15 attacks and stands second on the team with 44 kills on the season.
• Sophomore Jac St. Cin logged seven kills, five digs and a service ace.
• Sophomore Jordan Valley gave the Bulls a spark from the back row, logging seven digs.
Next
The Bulls return to The Corral in two weeks for a pair of match-ups with Temple on Fri., Feb. 12 and Sat., Feb. 13 that will open American Athletic Conference play. Both matches are set for a 1 p.m. first serve and will air live on ESPN+ and 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.
– #GoBulls –
