PHILADELPHIA, PA., November 3, 2023 – The University of South Florida Volleyball team (15-10, 9-5 AAC) closed out its weekend with a sweep over the Temple Owls (15-11, 5-9 AAC) on Friday afternoon for shared spot atop the AAC East Division.
The Bulls won with scores of 25-21, 25-22, 26-24.
It was the dynamic duo of sophomore outside hitters Buse Hazan (Istanbul, Turkey) and Maria Clara Andrade (Sao Paulo, Brazil) who led the Bulls with a combined 33 kills. Hazan led with 17, while Andrade followed with 16. Andrade and Niki Khoshatefeh (Temecula, Calif.) each served two aces. Freshman Miya Thomas (Gainesville) led with 14 digs. Caroline Dykes (Flower Mound, Texas) finished with 37 assists.
South Florida opened the first set with the momentum from last night’s thriller, jumping out to a 9-4 lead. Temple closed the gap to two, 22-20, and forced a South Florida timeout. The Bulls closed out the first set with a 3-1 run.
The second set was a dog fight with both teams tying 15 times. The last time the two squads were tied was at 22 before the Bulls closed out the set with a 3-0 run.
South Florida went into the third set looking to close out the weekend with a sweep, but Temple wasn’t going to go down without a fight. The Bulls were one point away from the sweep, but a late 5-0 run by the Owls tied the set at 24. The Bulls scored two straight points to close out the match and secure the sweep.
NOTABLES
- South Florida is now tied with East Carolina for a first-place spot in the AAC East Division.
- Three Bulls had a solo block.
- South Florida’s defense held Temple to a .170 hitting percentage.
- As a team, the Bulls served six aces.
UP NEXT
South Florida will welcome the East Carolina Pirates on Thursday and Friday. Jolene Shepardson will honor her senior class of Marta Cvitkovic, Kelsey O’Loughlin, and Alexis Williams on Friday prior to the match.
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 –
