Bulls putting past behind them

The Bulls have reached the Big East championship match in all of coach Agustin Moreno’s four seasons at the helm.

And USF will have a chance to continue its postseason success when it hosts the Big East championships this weekend at the Andros Dorm Courts, USF Varsity Tennis Courts and P.E. Tennis Courts Thursday through Sunday.

The Bulls earned a No. 3 seed — and a first-round bye — in the 12-team tournament and face the winner of the St. John’s and Louisville match noon Friday at the Andros Dorm Courts.

“(Louisville and St. John’s) are both tough teams and we know them very well,” Moreno said. “I wouldn’t be worried if we weren’t going through all of these injuries, but it is going to be a tough match.”

USF finished with a 6-12 record in the regular season, playing a schedule that included 13 ranked opponents.

“We have struggled all year, but this is the last part of the season and our girls are ready to step it up,” Moreno said.

Sophomore Irene Rehberger, whose 10-match win streak was snapped Saturday at FIU, leads USF. The native of Spain is 10-2 on the season.

Despite a tough year, the Bulls have finished .500 at home this season and are happy to be playing the tournament on their campus.

“Playing at home is a big advantage for us,” said assistant coach Luisa Obando. “We still have to come out focused and ready to play, though. The Big East is a great conference and we are excited and ready for the challenge.”

Seeded ahead of the Bulls are two nationally ranked teams: No. 4 Notre Dame and No. 45 DePaul.

No. 4 seeded Marquette, No. 5 Rutgers, No. 6 Louisville, No. 7 Syracuse, No. 8 Cincinnati, No. 9 Pittsburgh, No. 10 West Virginia, No. 11 St. John’s and No. 12 Connecticut round out the field.

The Bulls were defeated by the Irish 5-2 on March 11, but beat Syracuse 6-1 on March 15.

The winner between Syracuse and West Virginia will meet No. 2 DePaul, and the winner of that match will take on the winner of USF’s match on Friday.

Saturday’s semifinals begin at noon today at the USF Varsity Tennis Courts. The final is
Sunday at 9 a.m.