True freshman Amanda DeWitt floored 14 kills in the setback Friday night.
TAMPA (September 24, 2021) – For the third time in as many meetings, the University of South Florida Bulls (6-6, 0-1 AAC) and Cincinnati Bearcats (6-3, 1-0 AAC) went the distance inside The Corral in an American Athletic Conference matchup. Unfortunately for the Bulls on Friday night, in their first AAC match of the season, the Bearcats once again came away with the victory in five set.
Cincinnati outlasted USF by set scores of 20-25, 25-19, 15-25, 25-22, 15-13.
Amanda DeWitt (Jupiter) and Jac St. Cin (St. Petersburg) combined for 27 kills to pace the USF offense. Eke Denessen (Venlo, Netherlands) dished out a career-high 24 assists.
Playing in her first home match of the season, St. Cin floored game point in the opening set to give the Bulls a 25-20 win.
Cincinnati evened the match at one set apiece after two games, and the home team took a 2-1 advantage after set three. Leading 16-13 in set three, USF proceeded to score nine of the final 11 points in the contest to secure the victory and match advantage.
The Bearcats answered again in set four, but the Bulls didn’t make it easy on them. Cincinnati arrived at set point, 24-17, and was forced into a late timeout after USF scored five straight points to make it a 24-22 affair before the Bearcats floored the final point.
The Bulls found themselves in a 9-3 hole in the decisive fifth set, but once more point together a late rally to challenge the Bearcats. A kill by DeWitt cut Cincinnati’s lead to 10-9 and a kill by Marta Cvitkovic (Rijeka, Croatia) made it a 13-12 game. Cvitkovic and Tizi Puljiz (Resistencia, Argentina) then teamed up for a block to even the score at 13-13. USF’s comeback bid came to a halt there however, and the Bearcats recorded the final two points to escape with a hard-fought victory.
Notable
- DeWitt led USF with 14 kills and is averaging over nine kills per match over her last eight outings.
- St. Cin ended the night with a season-high 13 kills.
- CC Clausen (The Woodlands, Texas) led the defense with 20 digs and is now just 38 away from moving into third place all-time in program history.
- Amiree Hendricks-Walker (Los Angeles, Calif.) had a team-high five blocks to go along with five kills.
Up Next
The Bulls conclude their homestand on Sunday against ECU. Opening serve is schedule for 1 p.m. in Tampa.
About USF Volleyball
Head coach Jolene Shepardson enters her second season at the helm of her alma mater in 2021-22. 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 50th campaign in 2021-22. 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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