USF Volleyball: Bulls push Cincinnati to Five Sets Again

Sophomores Barnhart and Washington post career highs.


TAMPA, MARCH 5, 2021 – The USF women’s volleyball team (5-5; 3-3 American) pushed defending American Athletic Conference champion Cincinnati (6-3; 4-0 American) to five sets again on Friday before falling in The Corral.

Cincinnati took a very close first set before the Bulls rallied to claim the second and third sets. The Bearcats regained momentum and claimed the fourth and fifth sets for their 3-2 victory: 27-25, 11-25, 23-25, 25-15, and 15-7.

The Bulls were led by middle blocker Makayla Washington (Tallahassee, Fla.) who posted a career-high 20 kills and hit .417. Sophomore Ally Barnhart (Lenexa, Kan.) also posted a career-best nine blocks, including four solos, a freshman Sara Griffith (Chicago, Ill.) logged a career-best five blocks. Freshman outside hitter Marta Cvitkovic (Rijeka, Croatia) added 15 kills, followed by Jac St. Cin (St. Petersburg) with 11 kills.

Freshman Agata Plaga (Gizycko, Poland), who led the Bulls with 17 kills on Thursday, left the match in the first set with an injury. She was joined by sophomore Madison Lyons (Red Wing, Minn.) who also went down with injury later in the match. Neither returned to action.

The Bulls took an early lead in the first set with back-to-back kills by Cvitkovic, which gave the Bulls a 15-9 lead and forced a Bearcats’ timeout. Cincinnati put together a 7-2 run, upping the score to 17-16, this time forcing a Bulls’ timeout. The Bulls took another timeout with the match tied 19-19. The rally continued as a pair of kills by Cvitkovic and Barnhart gave the Bulls a 23-22 lead, as the Bearcats took a second timeout. Cincinnati regained the momentum and took the first set, 27-25.

Early in the second set, the Bulls built a 4-0 run with an ace by CC Clausen (The Woodlands, Texas) and blocks from Barnhart and St. Cin to again open an early lead. Another 5-0 run with back-to-back kills by Barnhart and Aleia Wilborn (McKinney, Texas) gave the Bulls an 11-4 lead. A combo block by Washington and Griffith forced a second Bearcats’ timeout. A pair of kills by St. Cin and Washington wrapped up the second set, 25-11, with the Bulls hitting .423.

The third set was a close see-saw battle as a kill and an ace by Cvitkovic tied the scoreboard 8-8. The Bulls used a 5-0 run with kills by Washington and solo blocks by Barnhart to open a 14-10 lead. A kill by Washington forced the first Bearcats’ timeout. Cincinnati closed the gap to two points, 16-14, forcing a Bulls’ timeout. A kill by St.Cin and a combo block by Washington and Barnhart forced a second Bearcats timeout. Cincinnati caught up at 22-19. The Bulls took the third set with a pair of kills by Barnhart and Cvitkovic, 25-23, hitting .433, their best of the match.

USF jumped out to a 5-2 lead early in the fourth set with a pair of kills by Washington and two combo blocks by Barnhart and St. Cin. The Bearcats seized the momentum and opened up a 10-7 advantage, forcing a Bulls’ timeout. USF attempted to catch up with a solo block by Griffith, but Cincinnati led 15-9. A pair of kills by Washington and Griffith forced a Bearcats’ timeout. Cincinnati stabilized to take the fourth set, 25-15.

Similar to Thursday’s match, Cincinnati took control early in the fifth set and built a 5-1 lead, forcing a Bulls’ timeout. Shortly after, the Bulls called their second timeout trailing 7-2. The Bearcats would not relinquish momentum and closed out the match with a 15-7 fifth set victory.

NOTABLE

• Ally Barnhart tied her career-high with nine total blocks, while marking a new solo block career-high of 4.

• Sara Griffith posted a new career-best five total blocks and two solo blocks.

• Makayla Washington marked a new career high with 20 kills and hitting .556.

NEXT UP

The Bulls will return to The Corral to take on Tulane on March 26 and 27. Both matches are set for an 11 a.m. start and can be seen live on ESPN+ and heard 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.

 
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