The University of South Florida volleyball team (18-9, 14-2 AAC) captured its 10th regular season title with a clean sweep over the UAB Blazers (11-16, 6-10 AAC) on Sunday with scores of 25-21, 25-10, 25-14. It is the Bulls first regular season championship since joining the American Athletic Conference.
The title is South Florida’s first regular-season championship since 2002 when Head Coach Jolene Shepardson was a senior. The Bulls are the No. 1 seed going into the AAC Conference Tournament. The conference tournament starts Friday, November 22, in Wichita, Kansas.
Maria Clara Andrade led the Bulls with 17 kills, her 21st straight match with double-digit kills. Naiya Sawtelle stretched her double-digit kill streak to 13 matches as she finished the match with 12 kills.
Lia Schneider led the way with four service aces, while Tizi Puljiz and Samiha Foster followed with three.
At the net, Imani Hartfield finished with three blocks. Ally Cavanaugh, Caroline Dykes, and Puljiz followed with two.
South Florida and UAB battled throughout the first set, tying four times. The Bulls led the opening set with 17 kills while holding the Blazers to 11.
The second set was a dominant set for the Bulls as they held the Blazers to 10 points. As a team, South Florida finished the set with a .615 hitting percentage.
With the title in their sights, the Bulls showed no signs of slowing down. South Florida closed out the match on a 5-0 run.
NOTABLES
- The Bulls won its 10th regular season championship in program history.
- South Florida went undefeated in conference play at home.
- The Bulls earned the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. Â Â Â
- Andrade stretched her double-digit kill streak to 21 matches, while Sawtelle stretched hers to 13.
- Schneider was one ace away from tying her career-high of five.
- As a team, South Florida set a season-high .459 hitting percentage.
UP NEXT
South Florida will head to Wichita, Kansas, for the 2024 American Athletic Conference Tournament as the No. 1 seed. The Bulls will open the tournament on Friday, November 22, against the No. 8 seed, which has yet to be determined.
About USF Volleyball
Head coach Jolene Shepardson enters her fifth season at the helm of her alma mater in 2024. Named head coach on Jan. 8, 2020, Shepardson led the Bulls to a conference championship and the program’s last NCAA tournament appearance as a student-athlete in 2002. South Florida won the AAC East Division title in 2023, made a postseason appearance in the NIVC, won three matches, and advanced to the Fab Four to mark the longest postseason run in program history. South Florida Volleyball has made seven NCAA Tournament appearances and won 12 conference titles since its inception in 1972. The Bulls play in The Corral (1,000), located adjacent to the Yuengling Center on the USF campus in Tampa.
Be sure to follow USF women’s volleyball on social media (X/ Instagram/ Facebook) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.
