Volleyball to Host UCF in War On I-4 Friday, SMU on Sunday
MATCHUP: USF vs. UCF
WHEN: Friday, Oct. 11 at 8 p.m.
LOCATION: Tampa, Fla. // The Corral
LIVE STATS: http://bit.ly/2kNxVjM
TWITTER UPDATES: @USFVolleyball
MATCHUP: USF vs. SMU
WHEN: Sunday, Oct. 13 at noon
LOCATION: Tampa, Fla. // The Corral
TWITTER UPDATES: @USFVolleyball
TAMPA, Oct. 10, 2019 – The USF women’s volleyball team returns home to The Corral Friday to face UCF, followed by a matchup against SMU on Sunday. The War On I-4 match Friday will be a Slime Out.
Friday’s match against UCF will mark the 72nd meeting between the rivals, with the Bulls looking to improve on a 41-30 all-time record. USF will face SMU for the 13th time and the series is led by the Mustangs 8-4.
USF (7-11, 1-3) recently travelled to ECU and Cincinnati to compete in the first conference road tests of the year. The Bulls dropped both matches despite posting well-rounded performances over the weekend.
Leading the Bulls in kills is sophomore outside hitter Lindsey Pliapol (Daytona Beach, Fla.). Pliapol recorded 23 kills during the last two matches and has now tied her 2018 season kill total with 221. Lauren LaBeck (Chicago, Ill.) tallied 47 assists on the weekend, improving her season assist total to 404. The sophomore is averaging 6.62 assists per set and is well on pace to surpass her 2018 season assist total of 474.
Underclassmen continue to impress, as freshman Jordan Valley (Haslett, Mich.) anchored USF’s defense against Cincinnati, tallying her second-best match-high total of 13 digs. Freshman outside hitter Jac St. Cin (St. Petersburg, Fla.) improved to 156 kills on the season while recording a team-high of 14 kills while taking on Cincinnati.
UCF (10-6, 3-1 American)
The Knights enter the contest after a sweep over ECU on Oct. 6. Prior to the victory, UCF’s 26-match conference winning streak came to an end with a loss against Cincinnati.
Leading UCF is sophomore outside hitter Mckenna Melville, who has recorded 254 kills this season and is ranked 25th in the NCAA for total kills. The Knights are ranked second in the NCAA for total team blocks with 175.
SMU (9-5, 2-2 American)
The Mustangs split decisions during the second week of conference play with a loss against Tulsa, followed by a sweep over Wichita State.
SMU is averaging 14.09 kills per set and ranks second in the NCAA in the category. Leading the Mustangs this season are sophomore outside hitters Hannah Jacobs and Rachel Woulfe, who have 141 and 96 kills, respectively.
Notables
- Head coach Courtney Draper is three wins away from capturing 120 victories with South Florida.
- Lindsey Pliapol tied her 2018 season kill total of 221 after posting 23 kills during the last two matches.
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-
