TAMPA – Charlotte Volleyball fell to the South Florida Bulls in straight sets on Friday (Oct. 17) to begin their road trip weekend. Charlotte will conclude the swing trip on Sunday (Oct. 19) versus Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton.

Rice currently leads the American Conference standings at 6-1 but tied beneath them entering the night were Charlotte and South Florida at 5-1, followed by Florida Atlantic at 4-2, who Charlotte defeated in five sets last weekend.

Charlotte’s win over Temple on Sunday was their 14th game of the season and fifth conference win. The win marked Charlotte’s 14th win in their last 15 games, a stretch that tied for the best in program history, last occurring in 1981.

HOW IT HAPPENED

In a highly anticipated matchup between two of the top teams in the American, it was a highly competitive first set of play between Charlotte and South Florida. Despite South Florida never giving up the lead, Charlotte continued to fight and show resilience. Five blocks from the Niners helped keep them within striking distance. Jessica Ricks and Sofia Locadia each had three block assists to lead the effort. Trailing 24-21 in the closing stages, a USF service error and a kill from Kristen Birmingham rallied Charlotte back into contention. However, USF clinched the set with an Elena Kovacevic service error, 25-23.

While the Niners’ efficiency improved into the second set, hitting at a .276 percentage, it was the errors that proved costly. Charlotte committed a combined six reception and service errors in the set to propel South Florida over the finish line. With the score tied at 13 apiece, the Bulls went on a 7-1 scoring run to build a cushion. Laila Ivey and Imani Hartfield totaled eight of USF’s 16 kills in the set to lead their team to the 25-19 win.

South Florida’s defense fueled the sweep in set three. Charlotte hit .029 as a team, converting just six of their 35 attempts for kills. Nine of Samiha Foster’s 14 digs came in the third set. Offensively, Maria Clara Andrade tallied seven kills as the Bulls clinched the win 25-20.

Charlotte’s offense struggled to get going on Friday evening, finishing the match with a .141 hitting percentage. Jessica Ricks (nine) and Kristen Birmingham (eight) led the Niners in kills. Freshman Sofia Locadia, in her first career start, totaled six block assists highlighting Charlotte’s 11 blocks in the three sets of play. Annika Thompson, whose 5.26 digs per set is fifth best in the NCAA and leads the American, picked up 13 digs tonight with eight of them coming in the first set.

NEXT UP

Charlotte will finish the weekend on Sunday (Oct. 19) against the Florida Atlantic Owls in Boca Raton. First serve is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.