TAMPA, September 2, 2023 – The University of South Florida volleyball team closed out the Bulls Invitational with a Saturday sweep of the Mercer Bears (25-14, 25-23, 25-10) in the Yuengling Center.
USF started the match with a 6-1 run, scoring five straight. Lauren Lewis (Tarpon Springs) led the run with a block and back-to-back kills. The Bears closed the gap to three points, but the Bulls scored seven straight to make it a 10-point lead. Caroline Dykes (Flower Mound, Texas) had the final kill for the Bulls.
Mercer fought back in the second set, coming back from a four-point deficit and taking a one-point lead, 19-18. Amanda DeWitt (Jupiter) scored three of the next six points to give the Bulls the two-point lead. Mercer escaped set point twice but a bad set by the Bears setter ended the set.
With the season’s first sweep in sight, the Bulls came out of the gates, taking the 8-1 lead. Maria Clara Andrade (Sao, Paulo, Brazil) led the force with three kills, and DeWitt followed with two. The Bull’s defense was unstoppable, not allowing the Bears to score more than two points in a row. Andrade ended the match with her 12th kill of the match.
Andrade finished the weekend with 48 kills, averaging 4.36 per set, 27 digs, and two solo blocks. Buse Hazan (Istanbul, Turkey) followed with 32 kills, eight service aces, and 31 digs. Both earned a spot on the Bull Invitational All-Tournament Team.
For the second straight weekend, Lia Schneider (St. Charles, Ill.) was named the All-Tournament Most Outstanding Libero. She finished the weekend with 42 digs, 16 assists, and two service aces.
The complete All-Tournament Team is below.
Bulls Invitational All-Tournament Team
Maria Clara Andrade- South Florida
Buse Hazan- South Florida
Juliana Lentz- FGCU
Lily Tessier-FGCU
Kylee Quigley- Mercer
Jaydin Witts- Idaho State
Most Outstanding Libero
Lia Schneider- South Florida
NOTABLES
- For the fourth straight match, Andrade finished with double-digit kills.
- The Bulls had four solo blocks: Andrade, DeWitt, Hazan, and Dykes each had one.
- Lewis had three block assists.
- Four Bulls had double-digit digs.
- Dykes finished with 31 assists.
UP NEXT
South Florida will go on the road for the first time this season as they head to South Dakota to face IUPUI, South Dakota, and Drake from September 7-9.
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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