TAMPA, October 20, 2023 – The University of South Florida volleyball team (13-8, 7-3 AAC) came up short in a Friday night thriller, 3-1, to the North Texas Mean Green (12-11, 6-4 AAC), the teams’ first meeting.
Buse Hazan (Istanbul, Turkey) had a career night for the Bulls offensively, recording a career-best 27 kills. Maria Clara Andrade (Sao Paulo, Brazil) followed finishing with 17 kills. Defensively, Niki Khoshatefeh (Temecula, Calif.) would amount to two blocks in her performance, leading the team defensively.
In the opening set, USF and North Texas would get into a chess match, tying up 16 times and only holding at best a three-point lead. The Bulls would win the duel, grabbing the set point off a successful touching-the-net challenge, gaining the early advantage.
The Mean Green would turn the tables in set two, getting a hold to an early 9-3 lead and not looking back, knotting things up at one a piece in the contest.
In the third set, the Bulls resurged, erasing a four-point deficit, being down 17-13. This led to a thrilling finish that saw South Florida fight off six UNT set-point opportunities, putting up a season-high 31 points. However, the Mean Green would find a closer that put them ahead 2-1.
The Bulls would have one final stance, pressuring UNT for a second straight set late, however, a misfortune would seal the win for North Texas, ending an undefeated home conference record.
NOTABLES
- The Bulls and Mean Green tied 54 times in the match.
- Marta Cvitkovic is five kills away from reaching 1,000.
- Caroline Dykes (Flower Mound, Texas) finished with 55 assists.
UP NEXT
The Bulls will travel out west to take on Tulsa and SMU on October 27th and 29th.
About USF Volleyball
Head coach Jolene Shepardson enters her fourth season at the helm of her alma mater in 2023. 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. 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 –
