USF volleyball snapped its four-game losing streak, tallying back-to-back wins over the weekend versus Charlotte and East Carolina.

The Bulls (6-7, 2-0 AAC) scored 133 points across the two matches, to go along with 85 kills. 

Volleyball head coach Jolene Shepardson said their preseason slate helped prepare them for these games.

“We played a tough preseason intentionally so that we can dominate our conference,” said Shepardson. “We’ve seen great players in our pre-conference schedule, which helped our own players be consistent.”

South Florida serves a sweep

Originally planned for Friday, USF’s American Athletic Conference opener was postponed to Saturday due to Hurricane Helene. 

With the Bulls back in action on Saturday, they secured a victory over Charlotte (3-12,0-2 AAC), including a season-high 14 service aces.

The team collectively served well, with seven different players delivering aces.

USF took set one by a score of 25-19, led by seven kills and three aces from junior outside hitter Maria Clara Andrade.

The Bulls led by as much as nine in the match, going up 21-12 before a 49ers run cut the lead to four. The Bulls would pull away in the end, finishing the set on a service ace from Andrade.

In set two, South Florida stayed ahead in the scoreboard from start to finish, leading by as much as nine once again. The Bulls would tally nine service aces in the set, winning it 25-18.

USF continued to dominate in set three, winning it by nine points. Andrade scored the Bulls’ last point in the 25-16 victory, capturing her team-leading 16th kill of the match.

South Florida also put on a strong defensive performance versus the 49ers. The Bulls held Charlotte to a .160 hitting percentage, as well as outscoring them 61-29 in the match.

Bulls battle back

Trailing in every set, South Florida overcame every deficit in route to a sweep versus East Carolina (8-4,1-1 AAC) on Saturday.

To start the match, the two AAC teams played each other closely, with a total of nine ties in set one. Tied at 18, the Bulls went on a 7-3 run to close out the set for a 25-21 victory.

Set two saw USF go down four, falling behind 13-9. The Bulls would then go on a 11-1 run, starting on a service ace by sophomore libero Lia Schneider. Now leading 20-14, South Florida fought off a late rally by the Pirates to clinch a 25-23 set win.

The final set started off with 10 ties, before consecutive points led by ECU gave them a 14-12 advantage. 

Down two, the Bulls rattled off five straight points, highlighted by a kill and two blocks from graduate middle blocker Imani Hartfield in the sequence. 

USF would hold the lead for the remainder of the match, winning the set 25-20 to complete the sweep. 

Hartfield said the team playing well as a unit was key in their victory.

“I think we all just came together and understood that we can’t do this individually,” said Hartifeld. “We have to do this as one.”

Looking Ahead

South Florida will travel to Philadelphia to take on its third consecutive AAC opponent, Temple, on Friday. Shepardson says the game would be a challenge, but one they can overcome.

“We got to take care of business on the road,” Shepardson said. “We’ve done it in the past, and we can do it again.”

The match against the Owls is the start of a four-game road trip for USF, concluding on Oct. 13 against Wichita State.