USF hits a season-best .268 in first road conference win since 2018
TAMPA, FEB. 18, 2021 – In its first match outside of the state of Florida in 15 months, the USF women’s volleyball team (4-3; 2-1 AAC) rolled past ECU (1-3; 0-3 AAC) in four sets Thursday in Williams Arena in Greenville, N.C.
The Bulls hit a season-best .268 to claim their first road conference victory since winning at Houston on Nov. 16, 2018. USF claimed the first, third and fourth sets in solid fashion for the 3-1 win: 25-20, 13-25, 25-20, 25-19.
The Bulls were led in kills for the fifth straight match by freshmen Marta Cvitkovic (Rijeka, Croatia) who posted 16 to tie Bulls’ freshman Agata Plaga (Gizycko, Poland) for the game high for any player. Sophomore Ally Barnhart (Lenexa, Kan.) continued her recent hot offensive tear with 10 kills to go with two blocks and sophomore middle blocker Makayla Washington (Tallahassee) added seven kills, two digs and a block.
Junior setter Maria Idjilov (Chisinau, Moldova) posted her third double-double of the season with 34 assists and 14 digs while CC Clausen (The Woodlands, Texas) had a team-best 21 digs.
The Bulls took an early 13-10 lead in the first set on Barnhart’s third kill of the set. USF batted back ECU’s attempts to regain the lead and opened up a 23-18 margin on a Washington kill. Washington found the floor again for a 25-20 Bulls victory in the first frame.
ECU used a 4-0 run to take an early 9-4 lead in the second set and built the lead to 15-8, forcing a second USF timeout. The Pirates closed the match on an 8-1 run and hit .448 to take the second frame, 25-13.
Back-to-back kills by Plaga helped stake the Bulls to an early 8-3 lead in the third set. USF continued to swing at a hot pace, hitting .637 late in the set to open up a wide lead before finishing with .568 attack percentage and taking a 25-20 victory.
USF led 13-9 early in the fourth set, but ECU put together a 3-0 run to cut it to 13-12 with the Pirates eighth block of the match. A Barnhart kill helped restore moment for the Bulls who ran off four-straight for a 17-12 lead. ECU got another block to close within two, 21-19, but a Cvitkovic kill restored order and USF went on to a 25-19 victory to seal the match.
NOTABLE
• USF hit .568 in the third set and posted a season-best .268 attack percentage for the match.
• Marta Cvitkovic led the Bulls in kills for the fifth-straight match with 16.
• Ally Barnhart has posted double-digit kills in back-to-back matches, logging 10 on Thursday.
• Agata Plaga hit a season-best .279 to tie Cvitkovic for the match lead with 16 kills.
• Masha Idjilov logged her third double-double of the season with 34 assists and 14 digs.
NEXT UP
The Bulls and Pirates will meet again Friday with a 2 p.m. first serve. That match will be streamed live to ECUPirates.com
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 –
