USF volleyball wins first AAC game
Career performances by junior right side hitter Elyse Panick (18 digs) and sophomore middle blocker Joli Holland (12 kills) helped lead the women’s volleyball team to an AAC victory over Connecticut on Sunday, 25-23, 16-25, 25-20 and 25-16, their first of the season.
“It feels great. I was really proud of our kids,” coach Courtney Draper said.
The Bulls, who were swept by Temple in Friday’s conference opener, had a slow start, but were able to grind out a two-point win in the first set. They weren’t as lucky in the second set, though, losing 25-16.
Still, Draper was confident her squad could turn things around.
“I didn’t really see anything strategic between (sets) two and three,” Draper said. “It was a lot more about just taking care of our side and being more efficient.”
USF (4-10, 1-1) came out strong in the third set, pulling out to 12-3 lead. While the Huskies tried to mount a comeback, the Bulls were just too strong.
With victory in sight, USF did not hold back, lighting up the crowd at The Corral and the scoreboard as it cruised to victory.
As a team, USF hit .204 while UConn (6-7, 0-2) hit .185.
Draper said she’s hopeful it’s a sign of things to come. The Bulls host Houston on Friday.
“We said all year that there’s so much potential, it’s just reaching that potential,” Draper said. “When our best players are on, we’re pretty unstoppable.
“They just all have to be on at the same time.”
More Stories
Byrum Brown named AAC Offensive Player of the Week
Freshman quarterback Byrum Brown was named as the AAC Offensive Player of the Week after his standout performance in USF’s 42-29 win over Rice on Saturday. This marks USF’s first AAC Offensive Player of the Week honor since 2018, when former running back Jordan Cronkite ran for 302 yards against UMass. It also comes one […]
Takeaways: Brown, offense finally click in record-setting win
One week after a near-upset of then-ranked No. 10 Alabama, USF carved up the Rice defense in a historic performance en route to a 42-29 victory. This win marked the Bulls’ (2-2, 1-0 AAC) first victory over an FBS opponent in nearly two seasons and their first ever victory against the Owls (2-2, 0-1 AAC) […]
USF’s record-setting offense powers first FBS win since 2021
USF’s offense struggled to find its rhythm at the beginning of this season, particularly in the passing game. In its last game against then-ranked No. 10 Alabama, they recorded 87 passing yards. But, in their conference opening 42-29 win against Rice at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday, things seemed to finally fall into place. The […]
Small mistakes spoil potential upset in men’s soccer 2-1 loss against SMU
Playing on a hot Friday afternoon to a crowd of 592 fans at Corbett Stadium, USF men’s soccer began conference play with a 2-1 loss to No. 6 SMU. In their last match up on Nov. 10, 2022, the Bulls (2-5) faced the Mustangs (7-1) in the AAC tournament semifinals, where South Florida won 1-0 […]
Women’s basketball announces home-home series with former conference rival
USF women’s basketball will begin a home-home series with UConn next season, according to a Wednesday post to its X account. https://twitter.com/USFWBB/status/1704556033291731112 The Huskies will host the first matchup on Nov. 10, 2024, and the Bulls will host the next game in the 2025-26 season. The two teams faced as Big East and AAC members […]
Gritty defenses leads to scoreless draw
After an hour-and-a-half rain delay, the USF women’s soccer team played a physical and gritty match against Charlotte to result in a 0-0 tie. This marks their first draw since they faced Memphis in the AAC Championship game on Nov. 7, 2021. The Bulls (4-4-1, 1-0-1 AAC) and the 49ers (4-3-4, 0-0-2 AAC) combined for […]