Holtz: Team hopeful for Marshall return

Coach Skip Holtz is optimistic about the return of star defensive end Craig Marshall this season.

Marshall, who’s missed the last two games with a foot injury, could return for the team’s game at Miami on Nov. 27.

“There’s a chance he could come back for possibly Miami or Connecticut. If not, I would expect he’d have the opportunity to be back for the bowl game. We’re hopeful we can get him back,” Holtz said.

Marshall, a senior, leads USF with seven tackles for loss and four sacks this season.

Holtz said Sunday that senior cornerback Mistral Raymond, after missing the Louisville game with a quad injury, should be healthy enough to play against Pittsburgh on Saturday.

The only potential long-term injury concern is redshirt freshman safety JaQuez Jenkins, who injured his ankle against the Cardinals.

“He’s probably the one right now we’re looking from a long-term (effect),” Holtz said. “Other than that, it’s kind of a see how everyone feels when they get some of the soreness out of their bodies when we get back into the course of the week.”

Men’s soccer gets tourney bid

USF, despite losing to West Virginia in the first round of the Big East tournament, was selected to its fourth straight NCAA tournament, as announced Monday on ESPNU.

The Bulls (9-5-4), who earned one of 26 at-large bids, will face in-state rival UCF (11-4-3) on Thursday in Orlando.

The winner of the match plays No. 10 seed Michigan on Sunday at 2 p.m.

Volleyball clinches spot in Big East tourney

Despite losing in four sets to Villanova on Sunday, the volleyball team clinched a spot in the Big East tournament because of losses by St. John’s and West Virginia in their final regular-season matches. The Bulls finished eighth in the conference standings. The top eight teams qualified for the tournament.

USF plays Cincinnati on Friday at 12:30 p.m. in Pittsburgh.