Freshman Cvitkovic leads USF with 23 kills
TAMPA, FLA. JAN. 29, 2021– The USF women’s volleyball team (2-1) waged an epic battle with defending Atlantic Sun Conference champion FGCU (1-0) in The Corral Friday, but the Eagles prevailed in five sets after rallying from a 2-0 set deficit and fending off two USF match points in the final set.
The teams will return to The Corral tomorrow for the rematch at 4 p.m. on ESPN+.
The Bulls hit .206 and logged 10 blocks in the match, while FGCU hit .213 and posted 15 blocks to win, 3-2 (25-22, 27-25, 20-25, 21-25, 15-17), and hand the Bulls their first loss of the season. USF got a strong performance from freshman Marta Cvitkovic (Rijeka, Croatia) who was hitting over .500 midway through before finishing with a team high 23 kills on a .296 hitting percentage and adding 11 digs. Junior setter Masha Idjilov (Moldova) logged 54 assists and seven digs and freshman Makayla Washington (Tallahassee) had 15 kills and three blocks.
“We didn’t come out with the ‘W’ like we wanted, but I’m really proud of Jac (St. Cin) coming off the bench and bringing a lot energy and high, hard swings and Marta (Cvitkovic) held her own and scored a lot of great point,” USF head coach Jolene Shepardson said. “Our team is going to grow in the capacity of high, hard swings, maintaining serving pressure and cleaning up some things.”
FGCU jumped to an early lead in set one, but USF rallied tying the game first at 10 on an Ally Barnhart (Lenexa, Kan.) ace and again at 12 on a Washington kill. The Eagles responded with three straight points to take a 15-12 lead into the TV timeout. USF returned to the court with purpose and mounted a 7-1 run to take a 19-16 lead following an Idjilov block. A Cvitkovic kill made is 23-20 in favor of the Bulls and USF closed it out to take the first.
The second set remained tight. Freshman Sara Griffith’s (Chicago) kill tied it at 12. FGCU built a 14-12 lead, before back-to-back kills by Washington and Barnhart led to a 15-14 USF lead. Three straight kills from Cvitkovic and a block from Barnhart gave the Bulls a 20-17 lead. FGCU rallied to tie it at 22 and force a Bulls timeout. USF led 26-25 after a kill from Agata Plaga (Gizycko, Poland) and took the set on an FGCU hitting error. Plaga, who has started the Bulls first three matches on the year, would later leave the match in the third set with an injury.
USF took a 10-8 lead in the third set following a pair of kills from Washington. An ace from Alexis Williams (St. Louis) and another kill from Cvitkovic gave the Bulls a 16-15 lead. Cvitkovic’s 15th kill of the match tied it at 17, but FGCU responded with two straight points to take a 19-17 lead before another Cvitkovic kill stopped the run. Two big FGCU blocks made it 22-18 and the Eagles closed it out, 25-20, for their first set of the match.
FGCU jumped out to an early 9-5 lead in the fourth set and forced a USF timeout. The Bulls tried to chip away at the lead, but the Eagles kept them at bay and led 15-10 going into the TV timeout. Back-to-back kills for Jac St. Cin (St. Petersburg) cut the lead to 17-14 and a Cvitkovic kill made the FGCU lead to two, 18-16. A big combo block from Griffith and Washington and an FGCU error got the Bulls within one, 22-21, but FGCU closed out the final three points to take the set.
USF jumped to a 2-0 lead in the fifth set before a service error got FGCU on the boad. Another big block from Griffith and Washington made it 4-1. A pair of Barnhart blocks increased the USF lead to 8-5. A kill from St. Cin gave the Bulls a 12-8 lead and forced an FGCU timeout. St. Cin put another on the floor to make it 13-10. FGCU cut it to 13-12 on a block and USF called timeout. After a USF hitting error it was tied at 13-13 and Shepardson used another timeout. A Cvitkovic kill from the back row made it 14-13 for the Bulls first match point, but FGCU tied it again. St. Cin registered another kill to bring up match-point again, but FGCU tied it again at 15. An Eagles kill gave them the lead, 16-15, and then a block on a Cvitkovic swing closed out the set and match for FGCU.
Notables
• Freshman Marta Cvitkovic posted a career-best 23 kills while hitting .296 to lead the Bulls’ attack. Her 25 points led the Bulls with Makayla Washington also reaching double-digits with 16.5 points (15 kills and three block assists).
• Sophomore Jac St. Cin came off the bench with strong play in the final two sets and finished with seven kills and five digs.
• Junior Masha Idjilov logged a career-best 54 assists and added 11 digs and two blocks
Next
The Bulls return to The Corral Saturday at 4 p.m. for the second match vs. FGCU. The match 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.
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