History was made Sunday at the USF Corral when the Bulls volleyball team clinched the program’s first regular-season conference championship since 2002. USF head coach Jolene Shepardson was a player on that team.
The Bulls swept visiting UAB 3-0 (25-21, 25-10, 25-14) for their sixth straight win, moving to 18-9 overall and 14-2 in the American Athletic Conference. That secures the No. 1 seed in the AAC tournament that begins November 22 in Wichita.
They’ll play the 8th seed in the opening round. That opponent has not been determined.
The Bulls had 46 kills in the match, led by Maria Clara Andrade with 17. Her total was only one short of UAB’s team total of 18 kills.
USF also out-aced the Blazers 12-5.
Winning the regular-season title is a giant step toward the program’s first NCAA tournament bid since the championship season of 2002. The Bulls are 57th in the latest RPI rankings, a key measure the selection committee uses to determine which teams to invite to the 64-team field. The conference tournament winner gets an automatic bid.
The moment 🥹#HornsUp🤘 pic.twitter.com/p2JxOxj2eG
— USF Volleyball (@usfvolleyball) November 17, 2024
Shepardson got off to a rough start after she was hired in 2020. The Bulls were a combined 8-38 in AAC play and 23-52 overall during her first three seasons but broke through last year, finishing 22-12 overall and 13-6 in the conference.
The Bulls also advanced to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship tournament semifinal. For that, she was rewarded in June with a contract extension through 2026.
They’re aiming for something higher this year.