Coaches rank Bulls above Gators

The USF football team’s 31-28 victory over Louisville Saturday earned the team its first votes of the season in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.

While the team did not gain a top-25 ranking, it did garner three votes from the panel of 68 Division-I coaches, 126 votes behind No. 25 Oregon State. Despite the victory, though, USF received 12 fewer votes than Louisville.

However, the poll marked one significant first for USF. When the University of Florida gathered just two votes, USF for the first time surpassed one of Florida’s three top-25 mainstays of Miami, Florida and Florida State.

USF’s highest poll position came in the final rankings of the 2002 season, when the team finished 9-2 and received 28 votes to finish 113 votes behind No.25 Virginia.

Mitchell named C-USA player of the week

USF volleyball middle blocker Shameka Mitchell was named Conference USA Co-Player of the Week for the week ending on Sunday.

The team went 2-0 this weekend against C-USA foes Charlotte and East Carolina. Mitchell posted double-doubles in both contests, and a career-high 28 kills against Charlotte on Friday.

The junior scored a total of 50 kills. In leading the team in attacks while committing just 11 errors, Mitchell posted a .424 attack percentage.

Mitchell is the first USF player to earn the award this season. Mitchell’s performance helped the Bulls open at 2-0 in Conference USA play for the third straight year.

USF will face the team with the awards other recipient when they host Andrea Bush and Southern Miss on Friday.

Golf finishes ninth at Wildcat Invitational

The USF women’s golf team shot 926 to place ninth out of 18 teams in the Wildcat Fall Invitational at the University Golf Club of Kentucky in Lexington this weekend, finishing 45 strokes behind winner Vanderbilt.

Freshman Daniella Ronderos shot a final-round 77 after rounds of 80 and 78 on the opening day to finish at 235 for the tournament, tied for ninth and eight strokes behind winner Meghan Little of Louisville.

The team was tied for fifth at the end of the first round after senior Jill Crowe shot the team’s low round for the tournament at 75. She followed up with rounds of 84 and 80 to finish at 239, however, as only Ronderos was able to shoot a round below 80 the rest of the weekend.

The team hosts the Beacon Woods Invitational this weekend at the Beacon Woods Golf Club in Bayonet Point, Fla.

Compiled by Adam Becker