Senior leader returns, USF wins two

Recovering from injury was senior Alli Arbogast’s primary goal, but two wins this weekend were an added bonus.

After missing the last two weeks with an elbow injury, Arbogast returned to the lineup and the visiting Bulls (9-3, 2-0) got two Big East road wins, defeating Rutgers (7-8, 1-1) on Saturday and Seton Hall (7-11, 1-1) on Sunday.

“It was fun to be on the court again and help my team win,” Arbogast said. “I didn’t even expect to be able to play in (Saturday’s) match, so playing and getting that many blocks was definitely surprising to me.”

Arbogast had two assists, three blocks and four kills in USF’s 3-1 win against the Scarlet Knights.

“She’s our best middle blocker and we’re happy to have her back,” said USF coach Claire Lessinger. “She brings consistency to the floor and a sense of calm to our team.”

Senior Marcela Gurgel contributed six kills. Junior Allie Boaz and senior Pamela Luiz each had 12 kills.

The Bulls continued their strong play Sunday afternoon in a 3-0 sweep of Seton Hall. Gurgel claimed a match-high 12 kills as the Bulls hit .253.

USF’s defense tallied 37 digs and 18.5 team blocks, stifling Seton Hall to a .088 hitting percentage. Seton Hall had 46 digs but only five team blocks.

Lessinger said she was proud to see her team go on the road and win in the Big East.

“I was really pleased with how the team handled (the away crowds),” she said. “We had an emotional roller coaster in the Rutgers match but I thought our players did a pretty good job of creating their own energy for the match and staying focused.”