The Bulls travel to Tulsa and Wichita State next weekend as conference play continues
TAMPA, Oct. 13, 2019 – The South Florida volleyball team (7-13; 1-5 American) fought hard but fell to SMU (11-5; 4-2 American) on Sunday in The Corral. SMU won the first set followed by a USF victory in the second. The Mustangs would take the third and fourth sets, however, to win the match, 3-1.
SMU took the first set after battling back-and-forth with the Bulls. USF challenged the Mustangs and almost extended the set, but ultimately a late 5-1 run by SMU gave the Mustangs the set win.
The second set started as another back-and-forth fight before an 8-1 run gave the Bulls the lead. Senior outside hitter Jac’cara Walker (Gainesville, Fla.) had six kills while sophomore setter Lauren LaBeck (Elk Grove, Ill.) tallied 10 assists during the set victory.
The Bulls fell behind early in the third set, trailing 12-3. South Florida seized the momentum afterwards, eventually tying the set at 19-19. The Mustangs pushed back and were able to close out the set, taking the lead, 2-1. The Mustangs charged ahead in the fourth set as well, winning the set, 25-18, and the match, 3-1.
LaBeck led USF setters with 41 assists. Lindsey Pliapol (Daytona Beach, Fla.) paced the team with 13 kills, while Walker added 12 of her own.
Quotable
Head coach Courtney Draper on the match…
“SMU is a very good team. We out-blocked them 10-to-4. I was really proud of our blocking effort. I felt like we made entirely too many errors to be able to win. We made 37 errors and you just can’t afford to give an opponent 37 points that they don’t have to earn. I told them I don’t expect them to play perfect, they’re human. They make mistakes, but we can’t make 37 errors.”
Notables
- Redshirt junior Nye Musemuna (Avon, Ind.) posted a career-high .538 hitting percentage.
- South Florida out-blocked SMU, 10-4.
- Both freshman Jac St. Cin (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and sophomore Nicole Legg (San Antonio, Texas) posted career-highs in block assists with six.
About USF Women’s Volleyball
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.
Head coach Courtney Draper led her team to 20 wins in 2018, the most in her time at USF and the most for the program since 2002. The Bulls appeared in the NIVC, the program’s first postseason trip since 2002. Senior outside hitter Jac’cara Walker led USF with 394 kills and recorded her 1000thcareer kill during the 2018 year, on her way to earning first team All-American Athletic Conference honors. USF returns four starters, including its libero, while welcoming 9 newcomers to the fray in 2019 in the form of two transfers and seven freshmen.
-#GoBulls-
