The Fletch Report: September 25th, 2023

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Welcome back to The Fletch Report, your go-to weekly newsletter dedicated to bringing you the latest on University of South Florida's Olympic Sports. In this concise and informative newsletter, we'll dive into the highlights of the previous week's athletic events and matches, while also offering a glimpse of what's on the horizon.

USF Weekly Honors

Three Standout Athletes: Before getting to the wrap ups, three Bulls were honored in the three major fall olympic sports for the American Athletic Conference weekly honor roll.

• Vivianne Bessette received weekly honors for USF women’s soccer after scoring the game winning goal against Temple in the conference opener
• Jalen Anderson received weekly honors for USF men’s soccer after scoring a brace against Elon in a 2-1 victory.
• Amanda Dewitt received weekly honors for USF volleyball after averaging 3.88 points per set and 3.42 kills per set, while adding 0.75 blocks per set on the defensive side during a 3-0 weekend sweep in Jacksonville.

USF Women’s Soccer: Massive Upset

Draw Against the 9ers: USF women’s soccer battled the elements and the opposition to a stalemate draw at home this past Thursday. A weather delay forced the opening kickoff to be delayed almost two hours, but USF was quick to start their attack, getting four shots on goal in the first half while minimizing Charlotte to no shots on goal.

The Bulls wouldn’t relinquish a shot on goal until late in the second half, while continuing to pounce at every available attack. However, outshooting the 49ers 14-4 yielded no goals, and the match ended as a draw, bringing USF to 1-0-1 on the year in conference.

Statement Victory Over Gonzaga: After a scoreless draw in conference, USF desperately needed a big confidence booster, and Sunday afternoon’s contest against Gonzaga gave them just that. The Bulls took down #21 Gonzaga 2-1 to move them back over .500 on the year at 5-4-1.

USF got on the board first with a goal by Peyton Vincze in the 49th minute assisted by Kouri Peace, and quickly scored again when Peace notched another goal for the Green and Gold in the 51st minute. Gonzaga would also find a quick answer in the 53rd minute, and continue to attack for the final 35 minutes to try to find an equalizer.

However, for every shot on goal that Gonzaga produced, GK Leire Herraez Gallach was there, collecting 7 saves between the sticks and fending off a ruthless barrage in the final minutes to give the Bulls a huge victory.

Looking Ahead: USF women’s soccer will host ECU to continue conference play on Thursday September 28th at 7p.m.

Score Summary:

• Charlotte (T 0-0)

  • N/A

• Gonzaga (W 2-1)

  • Peyton Vincze, Kouri Peace

USF Men’s Soccer: Challenged Top 5 SMU

Tough Opener: USF was given the unfortunate draw to start the season against the conferences top two teams, starting with playing host to #3 SMU on Friday night. SMU was able to take the lead in the 18th minute, but the Bulls did a good job of keeping a potent Pony attack at bay for most of the first half.

The second half saw the Bulls get the score level, when Brian Schaefer found the back of the net in the 59th minute with an assist by Ajmeer Spengler. However, the Ponies would answer back almost immediately 50 seconds later, when SMU was awarded a PK that was converted to give their leading scorer Jelldrik Dallmann a brace. The SMU defense stifled the Bulls for the rest of the second half to give the visitors a 2-1 victory over USF.

Looking Ahead: USF will travel to Miami to take on FIU this Friday September 29th at 7 p.m., the Panthers are coming in 2-0 in conference play and receiving votes in the US Soccer Poll.

Score Summary:

• SMU (L 1-2)

  • Brian Schaefer

USF Volleyball: Conference Play Underway

Downed the Greenies: USF volleyball opened up conference play and battled to a five set thriller against Tulane on Wednesday night. The Green Wave were able to win the first set rather easily, although the Bulls made it interesting late, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit they found themselves in. The Bulls quickly grabbed the next two sets, including a set two winning service ace by Buse Hazan who collected a career high four in the match, the third set was dominated by USF who lead by as much as 9 to take a 2-1 set lead.

The fourth set was evenly matched, but the Bulls chocked away a 23-21 lead late to let Tulane tie the match at two sets apiece. However, they avenged their own mistakes and cruised in the 5th 15-9 set to take the decisive victory.

Dueling with Memphis: The Bulls traveled up to Memphis to take on the Tigers in a weekend doubleheader on Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday saw the Bulls down the Tigers in dominating fashion, winning in straight sets with offensive firepower showcasing their strengths. Buse Hazan was once again masterful, with a career high 21 kills to lead the Bulls. Caroline Dykes collected 39 assists and 10 digs for her fifth double-double on the season, and Miya Thomas got her first collegiate start and had 13 digs to boot. The victory gave USF a five match winning streak.

Sunday was a much more difficult outcome for USF, who struggled mightily to get the offensive momentum going. The Tigers used a strong offensive gameplan to counterpunch from the night before, leading to a 3-1 victory for Memphis. Caroline Dykes lead the Bulls with another double-double, collecting 26 assists and 17 digs.

Up Next: Conference play continues with back-to-back home games against UAB on Friday September 29th and Saturday September 30th at The Yuengling Center.

Score Summary:

• Tulane (W 3-2)

  • 21-25, 25-23, 25-16, 24-26, 15-9

• Memphis (W 3-0)

  • 25-21, 25-17, 25-19

• Memphis (L 1-3)

  • 16-25, 25-23, 19-25, 21-25

Other USF Sports in Action

Although this newsletter is designed to showcase the olympic sports in their respective seasons, many of USF’s spring sports were featured in some fall action as tune ups and pre-season matches. Additionally, cross country is starting to put some pep in their step. Some of the highlights are below:

• Men’s golf finished 11th out of 14 at the Knoxville Collegiate from September 8th to 11th

  • Jake Peacock lead the Bulls at +1 for the tourney and finished T-22nd

• Women’s golf finished 1st out of 15 at the Badger Invitational from September 17th to 19th

  • Melanie Green finished T-4th with a -4 during the three day event to pace USF to victory

• Sailing competed in the SAISA Women’s Singlehanded Championships in Melbourne, FL on September 16th

  • Kailey Warrior finished fourth and won two of her 10 races

• USF men’s cross country finished 9th out of 15 schools at the Mountain Dew Invitational on September 15th

  • This was a much improved outting compared to the Mocs XC Invitational a few weeks earlier when they finished 4th out of 4 teams competing.

• USF women’s cross country finished 7th out of 14 teams at the Mountain Dew Invitational on September 15th

  • Similarly to the men’s team, much improved results across the board compared to the Mocs XC invitational that saw the ladies finish 2nd out of 6.