Volleyball falls in Big East

Two days after the USF womens volleyball team shook Notre Dame in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals, winning 3-1 in its first-ever win over the Irish, it couldnt hold its ground against Marquette, losing the Saturday match 1-3 in the semifinals.

The run in the Big East Tournament was the Bulls first in two years. In 2010, they lost to Cincinnati in the first round.

The Bulls entered Friday as the No. 8 seed in the Big East, facing third-seeded Notre Dame, a team USF lost 0-3 to in October. They picked up a 25-17 win in the first set, lost the second 18-25, and carried the win going 25-23 and 25-19 in the third and fourth.

Senior outside hitter Jberia Davis picked up a double-double, with 11 digs and a team-high 18 kills. Freshman outside hitter Erin Fairs also added a double-double to her resume with a 12 kills and 14 digs. Senior defensive specialist Claudia Cabrera had a team-high 16 digs.

USF led in blocks with 10 and digs with 53.

On Saturday, the team faced a second-seeded Marquette, and was unable to match its play for a second time in the tournament, going 16-25, 20-25, 27-25 and 22-25.

The teams hitting percent decreased from .292 against Notre Dame to .142, with Davis and junior Kayla Walton picking up 11 kills each, the team high. Fairs and Cabrera led in digs with 15 apiece. Marquette hit at .250, beating the Bulls.

The Bulls wont move on in the Big East Tournament, but will play Central Michigan on Nov. 24 at 7 p.m. at home in their final match of the season.

Staff Report