The USF volleyball team started the season on the right foot by picking up two wins over North Florida on Friday and Saturday.

Coach Jolene Shepardson was named the 12th head coach in program history in January 2020, but she had to wait over a year to finally make her USF debut Friday afternoon.

The Bulls struggled early as they dropped the first set 25-23, however, they rallied to win the next two and ultimately hung on for a 3-2 victory.

On Saturday afternoon, the Bulls were able to win in easier fashion. They defeated UNF 3-1 and moved to 2-0 on the season.

A bright spot in both showings was freshman Makayla Washington who posted nine kills in the first match and followed them up with a team-high 13 in the second.

Men’s tennis picks up two wins

The USF men’s tennis team picked up its first win of the season Saturday afternoon by defeating Clemson 4-3. The squad also took down Auburn on Sunday to move to 2-1.

Coach Ashley Fisher gave credit to his team for finding a way to win Saturday’s match.

“We had to dig in and find a way today,” Fisher said. “This was a tough challenge flying up and playing indoors the next day, but the boys were up to it and came through.”

The Bulls won the doubles point and picked up three victories in singles which was enough to emerge victorious.

However, in the Sunday match against Auburn, the Bulls lost the doubles point. Nevertheless, they were able to come back and earn a 4-3 win.

Cross country — Men and women perform well

The USF cross country teams had their first meet of the season as they traveled to UCF for a cross country invite.

The men’s squad was led by sophomore Nickolas Kamen, who ran an 8K time of 25:02.01, leading USF to first place.

The women’s team was led by senior Kaleigh Biss, who ran a 5K time of 18:47.00, which helped the Bulls secure second place.

Next up for USF is the AAC Cross Country Championships scheduled for Feb. 6 in Wichita, Kansas.

Basketball seasons impacted by COVID-19

Last week saw four men’s basketball games and two women’s games postponed.

Not only have the games been postponed for the men, they have also had their season paused due to COVID-19 protocols within the program.

The hope is that the women’s team will be able to return to the floor Jan. 27 when the Bulls are scheduled to take on the Temple Owls. 

The next game for the men is scheduled for Feb. 3 versus the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.