Volleyball Wins Conference Thriller at Home

At a time where the USF Volleyball team could really use a quality conference victory, the Bulls took five sets and a little extra to put away Connecticut and move to 3-2 in Big East play. The whole night was ridden with close sets all the way through. In the first set, it took until both teams were tied at 23 before UConn finally was the team to score two in a row, giving them the close 25-23 win. In set 2, the Bulls battles UConn close until about the 15-point mark, when USF pulled away for a 25-19 win.

All tied up at 1 set each, USF came back out strong, with an unrelenting force out of the gate leading them to a 25-18 win, one set away from a match victory. The Bulls trailed for pretty much the entire fourth set before ultimately dropping that one, 25-20.

The fifth set went back and forth between both teams, exchanging one point after another. No one held more than a one-point lead for the first half of the set. USF finally came out of the first half ahead 8-7. The two teams continued to exchange point for point for the rest of the match, until USF came within one point of a victory. They led 14-13, with a chance to put away UConn in regulation. The Huskies won the point, tying it at 14 and ensuring some extra volleyball. Each point went back and forth; the Bulls went up a point, then it was tied. Then they went up again, then it was tied. It appeared that USF was unable to get that final point until the score reached 20-19, and a series of great blocks and perfectly-played saves allowed the ball to trickle over the top of the net and fall at the feet of three Connecticut ladies. USF had won the final set, 21-19.

Some stats from the match: Valerie El-Houssine was the kills leader for the match, with 21. Shelbie Dailey and Andrea Rodriguez-Gomez led both teams as well with 51 assists and 8 blocks respectively. Janice Rivera had a team-high 18 digs. USF will try and keep their momentum rolling on Sunday afternoon when they host Seton Hall (12-7, 3-1), who is directly ahead of the Bulls in the Big East standings. The match will begin at 2:00 p.m. in the USF Campus Recreation Center West Gymnasium.