Caroline Dykes hits the 2,000-assist mark in her career.
VERMILLION, S.D., September 8, 2023 – Amanda DeWitt (Jupiter) led the University of South Florida volleyball team with 18 kills in the 2-3 (17-25, 25-17, 23-25, 25-20, 14-16) loss to the South Dakota Coyotes on Friday night in Vermillion, S.D.
South Dakota took the early lead in the opening set. The Bulls answered with a 5-1 run to take the two-point lead. The Bulls held the lead until the Coyotes answered with their own 5-1 run to force a USF timeout. South Dakota grew their lead to six points, but Marta Cvitkovic (Rijeka, Croatia) and Buse Hazan (Istanbul, Turkey) scored back-to-back points to close the gap. South Dakota answered with five straight and took the first set.
Transfer Niki Khoshatefeh (Temecula, Calif.) made her South Florida debut in the second set. She gave the Bulls the lead with her first kill and block of the season. USF took a 13-9 lead to force a South Dakota timeout. The Bulls Came out of the timeout scoring three straight points from DeWitt and Lauren Lewis (Tarpon Springs). South Dakota tried to make a comeback, but South Florida took set two with a kill from Hazan.
The Bulls took the early 5-2 lead over the Coyotes with kills from Khoshatefeh and Maria Clara Andrade (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and an ace from Kelsey O’Loughlin (Fort Lauderdale). A late South Dakota run gave them the four-point lead. Tizi Puljiz (Resistencia, Argentina) and Caroline Dykes (Flower Mound, Texas) closed the gap to two. A Coyotes error tied the match at 20 and from there, the match was neck and neck. USF was one point away from pushing the set to extras, but South Dakota took the set, 25-23.
The Bulls fell behind early in the fourth set, but a block from Khoshatefeh and Puljiz gave USF the momentum they needed. It started a 6-2 run that gave USF the lead and forced a South Dakota timeout. South Dakota took the lead coming out of the timeout. Dykes 2,000th career assist would start a 5-1 to give the Bulls a three-point lead. A block from Lewis and DeWitt would force a fifth set.
South Florida opened the final set going on a 7-1 run led by DeWitt and Hazan. The Bulls grew their lead to seven points. South Dakota scored four unanswered points to force a USF timeout. DeWitt matched her career-high of 18 kills and gave the Bulls the 10-5 lead. The Coyotes went on an 8-1 run to take the fifth set.
NOTABLES
- Dykes finished with 33 assists for a career total of 2,005.
- Dykes led with two service aces.
- DeWitt matched her career-high of 18 kills.
- Andrade, Buse, and Dykes each finished with a double-double.
- Lia Schneider set a season-high of 22 digs.
- Lewis set a season-high seven block assists.
UP NEXT
South Florida will close out the South Dakota Classic tomorrow at 11 a.m. (E.T.) as they take on the Drake Bulldogs.
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 and is entering its 50th campaign in 2021-22. 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.
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