Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 TAMPA, FL.- William & Mary volleyball dropped a pair of matches to South Florida and South Alabama in a season-opening doubleheader Friday afternoon. The Tribe will look to bounce back, finishing the weekend with a match tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. against Ball State.
The Tribe could not find an offensive footing throughout the first match of the day, mustering a .105 hitting percentage in the opener. The Green and Gold had six blocks and three service aces but could not slow down a potent USF offense.
Burrell, a Florida native wasted no time making an impact in the Green and Gold slamming five kills in the opening frame. Fellow transfer
Emma Minnick dished out seven assists, but the Bulls hit .300 and would take the opening set 25-18.
The Tribe offense surged back behind five kills from
Nicole Smith in the second frame. The freshman led William & Mary to a .360 hitting percentage in the second stanza. The two teams would be tied 22-22 late in the set, but South Florida took three of the next four points for a 25-23 win.
After a fast start, the Tribe was overwhelmed by USF in the third set as the Bulls would go on a 4-0 scoring run to finish the final set by a 25-18 score. Smith hit .421 for the Tribe and had eight kills, tied for a team-high with Burrell.
Burrell, Smith,
Sabrina Malcolm, and
Kaitlyn Ferguson all had at least kills in the opening set of the second match, but South Alabama answered hitting nearly .400 in the opening frame to take a 25-17 first set win. Setters
Amy Schwem and
Emma Minnick each dished out six assists in the set.
Freshman outside
Sarah Callender recorded four kills and added a service ace, while Malcolm, Burrell, and Ferguson would each add three kills of their own in the second. However, a late run from South Alabama would give the Jags a 25-20 set two win.
USA would go on to take the third set 25-19 and clinch the match. A Tampa native, Ferguson shined in the match hitting .429 and leading all players with 12 kills in the match. Burrell had 11 kills while
Anna Porter provided the defense with 17 digs and Schwem and Minnick both dished out 16 assists.
