Bulls set to battle two of Big Easts best
After beating Georgetown in dramatic fashion after trailing by two sets, the USF volleyball team will finish its stretch of five straight road matches this weekend.
The Bulls (9-9, 5-2) are preparing to face the top two teams in the Big East, as they oppose No. 23 Cincinnati (18-4, 6-1) on Saturday and Louisville (11-5, 6-1) on Sunday.
Louisville and Cincinnati are tied for first place in the conference.
Coach Claire Lessinger said one of the team’s objectives is to become a feisty team by “keeping balls scraping, going for balls and try to frustrate (opponents) in some capacity by keeping the ball alive and winning long rallies,” she said.
Cincinnati is third in the conference in kills and assists, while Louisville leads in blocks and opponent hitting percentage.
Lessinger has stressed to her team the importance of containing Bearcats’ senior outside hitter Stephanie Niemer, who leads the conference in kills with 5.42 per set.
“If we can keep her from taking the match into her own hands, because she has the ability to do that, and force them to get other players involved,” Lessinger said.
Senior outside hitter Allie Boaz was named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll for the second straight week after she collected 21 kills along with a .486 hitting percentage in the win against Georgetown.
Both teams are coming off a win, with USF defeating Georgetown in five sets and Louisville upsetting Cincinnati in five sets.
More Stories
USF men’s basketball outmatched in loss versus No.14 Memphis.
USF men’s basketball failed to upset No.14 Memphis on Thursday night, losing 80-65. The Tigers entered the match as one of the most formidable opponents on South Florida’s schedule. Memphis arrived riding a seven-game winning streak and ranked first place in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) standings. The Bulls (12-13, 5-8 AAC) continue their up-and-down […]
PHOTOS: USF men’s basketball suffers 80-65 loss against Memphis
Last year, USF faced off against Memphis and delivered a comeback for the history books. The 74-73 win against the then-ranked No. 10 Tigers was the Bulls’ first victory against a ranked team since 2012. But this year’s game against Memphis on Thursday night told a different story. The Bulls delivered a shaky performance with […]
USF women’s basketball beats Rice in triple-OT: “Really good players who make big plays”
With 25 seconds left in the third overtime of a hotly-contested affair against Rice, graduate guard Sammie Puisis nailed a 3-pointer from the Bulls logo to give USF their 10th in-conference win. From there, the Bulls (17-8, 10-2 AAC) coasted to their sixth straight win , pushing their record to 17-8 on the season. The 82-77 […]
PHOTOS: USF women’s basketball claims victory over Rice
USF women’s basketball delivered a thrilling game against Rice on Wednesday night, going into three overtimes before claiming an 82-77 win. The Bulls extended their win streak to six and claimed their 10th conference win. Graduate guard Sammie Puisis delivered a 3-pointer from the Bulls logo that gave USF the win. Puisis didn’t realize how […]
USF’s L’or Mputu powers team’s winning streak
USF women’s basketball senior forward L’or Mputu knew her hard work would pay off – it was just a matter of time. In her native language of French, her first name translates to “Gold” – a fitting description of her value to the Bulls this season. When she was named American Athletic Conference (AAC) player […]
USF men’s basketball attempts to spoil commanding Memphis season
USF takes on No. 19 Memphis Thursday in what could be the Bulls’ most important conference game this season. Memphis (20-4, 10-1 AAC) has sat atop the American Athletic Conference (AAC) throughout the season, while the Bulls (12-12, 5-6 AAC) have struggled to find their footing in the conference. In USF’s last six games, the […]