USF volleyball prepares for difficult test in No. 1 Penn State
USF coach Courtney Draper (left) believes her team is ready for the challenge of top-ranked Penn State after testing No. 4 Nebraska on Sunday. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU
As the USF volleyball team prepares for its showdown with No. 1 Penn State on Saturday night at the Sun Dome, here are four things to watch:
How sweep it is
During its current seven-match losing streak, the Bulls (2-7) have won only two sets — Missouri on Sept. 5, Georgia Tech on Sept. 11. The Nittany Lions (8-0), meanwhile, haven’t lost since last October and have won 24 consecutive sets.
Block party
Averaging 3.63 blocks per set this season, Penn State holds a 83-30 advantage over its opponents in blocking margin. USF is even at 19-19.
Bulls have experience
USF coach Courtney Draper said her team won’t be intimidated by Penn State, because of its experience at No. 4 Nebraska on Sunday. Though the Cornhuskers swept the Bulls, USF managed to keep it close in the final two sets.
“We got a little taste of what one of the top five teams in the country, so I think that helped us prepare quite a bit,” Draper said.
‘Just have fun’
Most of all, Draper just wants her players to enjoy the chance to play the defending national champions.
“To be able to host them on our home floor is just something that is really exciting,” she said.
More Stories
OPINION: USF coaches need to be more than game-day leaders
In his first year at USF, baseball head coach Mitch Hannahs brought an old-school approach to the program. He stayed off social media and had minimal interactions with fans, except during press conferences and games. And toward the end of the season, Hannahs began to decline interviews with The Oracle — both for himself and […]
USF prepares for more scholarships, revenue opportunities after NIL settlement
As universities began directly paying athletes on Tuesday as part of the House v. NCAA settlement, increased scholarships and revenue opportunities will become the norm under the landmark NIL ruling. Former USF Athletic Director Michael Kelly told The Oracle that the settlement also paves the way for another opportunity for USF to be invited to […]
USF’s Fowler Avenue ‘isn’t going anywhere’ despite NIL changes
Corey Staniscia didn’t need a court ruling to see where college sports were headed. Long before a federal judge approved the House v. NCAA settlement on June 6, Staniscia saw what was coming — a future where schools, not just collectives, could pay athletes directly. So, as the CEO and co-founder of the Fowler Avenue […]
USF support program helps international student-athletes thrive
For Mathis Haugen, a USF international student-athlete from Norway, his journey started with a leap of faith. Haugen said he planned to take a gap year after high school and then apply to college. But when USF recruited him in fall 2021, everything changed. Now a senior, the men’s soccer defender had never visited the […]
USF men’s basketball rounds up roster with latest commits
USF men’s basketball officially has a full house, finalizing its revamped roster with all 15 scholarship spots now filled. New head coach Bryan Hodgson has wasted no time building a new roster. After Hodgson was hired in March, he began his tenure by securing three high school recruits and five players out of the transfer […]
USF beach volleyball balances summer training away from campus
In the summertime, while some USF students are having fun in the sun, athletes don’t stop their training. USF beach volleyball players Morgan Anderson and Sasha Pasloski know all too well what goes into a Division I athlete’s summer routine. Although the Bulls won’t play their inaugural season until the spring, they have been preparing […]