VERMILLION, S.D., September 9, 2023 – The University of South Florida volleyball team fell to the Drake Bulldogs in three sets (12-25, 13-25, 19-25) on Saturday morning in Vermillion, S.D.
South Florida got off to a slow start in the first set. Maria Clara Andrade (Sao Paulo, Brazil) led the Bulls with two kills through the first 19 points of the set. At the end of the set, Amanda DeWitt (Jupiter) had two kills, while Andrade had three.
DeWitt and Lauren Lewis (Tarpon Springs) led the Green and Gold in set two with two kills each. Niki Khoshatefeh (Temecula, Calif.), Buse Hazan (Istanbul, Turkey), and Marta Cvitkovic (Rijeka, Croatia) followed with one.
Drake took the early lead in the third set, but USF went on a 5-2 run to close the gap to two points. South Florida kept clawing their way back, bringing the set within four points, 19-23. Two South Florida errors gave Drake what they needed to close out the match.
NOTABLES
- Dewitt led with six kills.
- Kelsey O’Loughlin (Fort Lauderdale) and Caroline Dykes (Flower Mound, Texas) each had a service ace.
- Hazan had the lone block solo.
- Dykes led with 12 assists.
- Lia Schneider (St. Charles, Ill.) was the only Bulls to have double-digit digs.
UP NEXT
The Bulls will head to Jacksonville for the UNF Tournament on September 15 and 16. South Florida will take on USC-Upstate, North Florida, and Alabama A&M.
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.
– #GoBulls
