MATCHUPS: USF vs. Temple // USF vs. UConn
WHEN: vs.Temple, Friday, Sept. 27 at 7:00 p.m. //
vs. UConn, Sunday, Sept. 29 at 12:00 p.m.
LOCATION: The Corral
LIVE STATS: LINK
TWITTER UPDATES: @USFVolleyball
TAMPA, Sept. 27, 2019 – The USF women’s volleyball team open American Athletic Conference play in The Corral this weekend, taking on Temple (9-2) Friday at 7 p.m. and facing UConn (6-6) Sunday at noon. The Bulls went 9-9 in conference play last season on their way to a 20-12 mark and postseason appearance in the 2018 NIVC.
Friday’s match-up against the Owls marks the 21st meeting between the programs, with the Bulls looking to improve on a 13-7 all-time record. USF will also face UConn on Sunday for the 21st time and that all-time series is tied 10-10.
The Bulls (6-8) dominated during the last two games of nonconference play, sweeping Stetson last Saturday and also posting a straight set victory over Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday. Leading the Bulls with 15 kills against BCU was sophomore Lindsey Pliapol (Daytona Beach, Fla), who improved to a team-leading to 179 on the season. Senior Jac’cara Walker (Gainesville, Fla.) recorded eight kills and sophomore Lauren LaBeck (Chicago) added 13 assists in that match.
Defensively, the Bulls tallied 48 digs vs. BCU, with a team-high of 17 coming from sophomore CC Clausen (The Woodlands, Tx.). Walker and Pliapol added to the stout defensive performance with a combined 22 digs, holding BCU to just .099 hitting percentage. In front of the net, sophomore Nicole Legg (Union, Ky.) earned four of USF’s nine blocks on the night.
Several Bulls have posted strong numbers during nonconference play, looking to shatter multiple career records set last season. Pliapol posted double-digit kills on Tuesday and with an additional 42 will exceed her season career high of 221. LaBeck improved to 357 assists on the season, continuing to close in on her assist total of 474 posted last year.
Temple (9-2)
The Owls enter the AAC opener at 9-2 after falling to Villanova (3-1) and Princeton (3-0) last weekend, ending a nine-game win streak. Temple’s most recent win came vs. Lehigh (3-0), with junior Katerina Papazoglou recording a double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs. Outside hitter Papazoglou has 84 kills this season, featured alongside sophomore Gem Grimshaw who leads the Owls with 119 kills.
Head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam is in his ninth season with the Owls and has compiled an overall record of 143-98 and a conference record of 86-57. In 2017, he led Temple to the program’s first post-season play in 15 years.
UConn (6-6)
The Huskies recently competed in the Dog Pound Challenge, defeating Holy Cross (3-2), Dartmouth (3-1), and Providence (3-2). Leading UConn with 145 kills on the season is sophomore Caylee Parker. The outside hitter has recorded five double-doubles on the season, while setter Courtney Morris finished the weekend with 47 assists and 12 digs. Morris currently leads the Huskies with 327 assists, breaking her career season total in assists from 2018.
Ellen Herman-Kimball was named head coach in February, following the fifth season of her second stint with UConn. She re-joined the program in 2014 after serving as an assistant in 2011.
Notables
- Head coach Courtney Draper is four wins away from capturing 120 victories with the South Florida Bulls.
- Lindsey Pliapol currently leads the Bulls with 179 kills this season and is closing in on her total of 221 kills from last season.
- Jac’cara Walker was named to the AAC Honor Roll last week after ending the week with 56 kills, 51 digs, and registering 4 double-doubles.
About USF Women’s Volleyball
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.
Head coach Courtney Draper led her team to 20 wins in 2018, the most in her time at USF and the most for the program since 2002. The Bulls appeared in the NIVC, the program’s first postseason trip since 2002. Senior outside hitter Jac’cara Walker led USF with 394 kills and recorded her 1000thcareer kill during the 2018 year, on her way to earning first team All-American Athletic Conference honors. USF returns four starters, including its libero, while welcoming 9 newcomers to the fray in 2019 in the form of two transfers and seven freshmen.
-#GoBulls-
