Caroline Dykes reached the 1,000-assist mark for the season
TAMPA, FLA., November 22, 2023 – The University of South Florida volleyball team (19-11, 13-6 AAC) defeated the Rice Owls (18-11, 12-7 AAC) in a thrilling five-set match to clinch the American Athletic East Division Title outright in front of a packed arena and to finish the season undefeated in The Corral.
The Bulls won with scores of 25-18, 12-25, 28-26, 18-25, and 15-13.
Buse Hazan (Istanbul, Turkey) led the Bulls with 17 kills. Maria Clara Andrade (Sao Paulo, Brazil) followed with 15, while Tizi Puljiz (Resistencia, Argentina) capped off the double-digit kills with 10. Caroline Dykes (Flower Mound, Texas) dished out 40 assists, including her 1,000th of the season. It is the first time she’s reached the milestone in a season.
Miya Thomas (Gainesville) had 20 digs in the match, two shy of her season high. Niki Khoshatefeh (Temecula, Calif.) finished with two solo blocks and four block assists.
South Florida jumped out to a 9-5 lead led by Hazan. South Florida had no intention of slowing down, cruising to a 25-18 win in the opening set.
Rice made the adjustments needed and took an early 12-5 lead. South Florida went on a late run, but Rice took set two.
The Bulls came out and took the12-8 lead. The Owls went on a late 3-0 run to tie the set at 24. It was a battle into extra points, but the Bulls closed out the set with three straight points to take the 2-1 lead in the match.
After tying at 11, Rice held the lead for the remainder of the match. The Bulls pulled within one, but the Owls held the lead to force a fifth set.
South Florida scored the first two points of the fifth set, but a 5-1 run by the Owls gave them the early lead. A late 6-2 run by the Bulls gave them the one-point advantage. The Owls answered with two points to come within two of taking the match. Hazan started and ended a 3-0 run, ending the match with her 38th ace of the season.
NOTABLES
- Puljiz led the team with five block assists.
- Hazan and Dykes finished with a double-double.
- Hazan and Thomas each served two aces.
- Andrade, Dykes, and Alexis Williams (St. Louis, Mo.) served one ace.
- South Florida finished the regular season undefeated in The Corral.
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.
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